CBS Chicago reporting on food pantries preparing for SNAP benefit losses

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Local news outlets show communities struggling with food insecurity amid massive SNAP cuts

Fox News celebrated the food stamp restrictions and is helping the Trump administration sell new policies hunger experts warn will reduce access to groceries

Written by Zachary Pleat

Published

Local news outlets across the country are covering how communities are trying to provide support to families losing their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits due to newly imposed restrictions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Fox News, which advocated for work requirements and other restrictions and celebrated the resulting loss of benefits for millions, is also helping the Trump administration push other changes to the food stamp program that experts say are likely to reduce beneficiaries’ access to groceries and kick millions more people off the program.

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  • Republicans cut SNAP funding, imposed ineffective work requirements, and removed benefits for most legal immigrants in the OBBBA

    • Urban Institute: “President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law. To partially offset the cost of trillions of dollars in tax cuts, the legislation includes $186 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).” The Urban Institute added: “OBBBA shifts SNAP program costs to states, which will likely lead to additional reductions in eligibility and benefits, leaving more young adults facing greater poverty and food insecurity.” [Urban Institute, 8/6/25]
    • Urban Institute: Changes to SNAP in the OBBBA show “22.3 million US families would be affected, losing some or all of their SNAP benefits.” The analysis continued: “Of the total affected families, 5.3 million would lose at least $25 in SNAP benefits per month. Among these families, 3.3 million are families with children, 3.5 million are working families, and 1.7 million are families with a full-time full-year worker. Families losing at least $25 per month would lose $146 per month on average ($1,752 for a full-year recipient).” [Urban Institute, 7/2/25]
    • A Brookings Institution primer on SNAP work requirements stated: “Our conclusion from a review of the literature on work requirements is that the best evidence shows they do not increase employment.” The primer continued: “Moreover, this research finds work requirements cause a large decrease in participation in SNAP. This is concerning because many SNAP recipients, especially those subject to the time limit work requirements, have little safety net to rely on besides SNAP. Additionally, we discuss evidence that those subject to the time limit work requirements face difficulty meeting the requirements even if they are working or would like to work, because of the types of jobs available to them. Finally, we summarize research that suggests work requirements limit SNAP’s ability to act as an automatic stabilizer during recessions.” The authors added: “We reiterate that the evidence supports largely or fully eliminating work requirements in SNAP at all times, but particularly during a recession and its recovery.” [Brookings Institution, 4/6/26]
    • NBC News reported on Arizona families “going hungry because of Trump’s food stamp cuts.” The story noted that “Arizona has moved more rapidly and aggressively than other states” on enacting the expanded work requirements, “which proponents of the legislation argued would push people off of federal assistance and into the labor force.” The piece also notes that the state has increased documentation requirements. It concluded that the changes are “going beyond their stated aims and have made it harder for many more people in Arizona to receive food assistance, even if they should be eligible.” Brookings Institution senior fellow Lauren Bauer told NBC News that the work requirements are “a cruel policy to try to use hunger as leverage over people.” [NBC News, 5/11/26]
    • CBS News: “Food stamp work rules don't increase employment, researchers say.” CBS News reported that “proponents of work requirements argue that they incentivize people who are ‘work-ready’ to seek and keep jobs, reducing dependence on government assistance and upholding the ‘dignity of work.’” Yet researchers have found they don’t succeed, noting that the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy studied the effects of SNAP work rules and “found that requiring recipients to work does not lower an area's unemployment rate.” An analyst at the center told CBS News: “When people are hungry, they're not able to support themselves. When people are hungry, it's harder to focus at work. It's harder to engage in work activity, and we think that that's part of it.” [CBS News, 4/20/26]
    • Urban Institute: OBBBA’s work requirements for SNAP eliminate “several categories of exemptions, including for people who are veterans, who have aged out of foster care, who are experiencing homelessness, and who are living in areas with limited job openings.” [Urban Institute, 8/6/25]
    • Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ Katie Bergh: “More & more eligible low-income people are losing SNAP because of H.R. 1’s bureaucratic hurdles.” Bergh highlighted the May 11 NBC News story and added: “Keep in mind: SNAP benefits average about $6 per person per day.” [Bluesky, 5/11/26]
    • Church World Service: OBBBA removed eligibility for SNAP from several categories of legal immigrants, including “refugees, asylees … and other humanitarian entrants – including victims of trafficking and certain survivors of domestic violence.” Undocumented immigrants were already barred from accessing SNAP benefits. [Church World Service, 11/21/25]

  • Local news outlets have highlighted communities affected by the devastating SNAP cuts

    • NJ Spotlight News explained that SNAP cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act “decreased the number of people eligible for SNAP” and “that means more people depending on meals at their local food banks and pantries.” During an interview, Community FoodBank of New Jersey CEO Elizabeth McCarthy said “the impact is really just starting to be felt” and “in a few weeks is when we’ll really see demand start to go up.” McCarthy also explained why food pantries cannot replace SNAP: “For every meal that our pantry system — even though we provide over 90 million meals a year — that’s about, every one of our meals, nine are provided by SNAP. So if you think of that, we would not be able to absorb all of the people that need” meals if they lose SNAP benefits, adding: “It’s pretty scary.” [YouTube, NJ Spotlight News, 4/22/26]
    • Phoenix’s FOX 10: “Arizona is currently leading the nation in losses of SNAP benefits.” Citing CBPP, reporter Taylor Wirtz noted that the “numbers show a drop in more than 400,000 enrolled in Arizona since last July when the Big Beautiful Bill was enacted. ” She explained that local food assistance charities are seeing a surge in need and serving far more people than before, typically increasing from 60-70 families a day to over 100. According to CBPP, 400,000 represents a loss of nearly half of all Arizonans who were enrolled on SNAP. [YouTube, FOX 10 Phoenix, 5/1/26; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 4/8/26]
    • Chicago’s WGN News 9 reported on a food drive aiming to collect 100,000 pounds of nonperishable food ahead of expected losses of SNAP benefits. [YouTube, WGN News 9, 4/22/26]
    • Rockford, Illinois, station WIFR News reported that “putting food on the table will soon be harder for thousands of people around Rockford” due to SNAP cuts. The segment covered how local food pantries are going to be impacted. [YouTube, WIFR News, 5/1/26]
    • CBS News Chicago reported: “Food pantries across the Chicago area are racing to prepare for an increase in demand as changes to the SNAP program are set to have a major impact starting May 1.” [YouTube, CBS News Chicago, 4/23/26]
    • Portland, Oregon, station KGW News 8: “New SNAP rules push more Oregonians to food pantries.” William Temple House executive director Graham Craft said in an interview: “It feels like it’s just a slow motion disaster.” [YouTube, KGW News 8, 4/27/26]
    • During a segment on Denver’s 9News, Christina Stimson of the Aurora Interfaith Food Pantry said of whether food pantries can replace SNAP as a source of food for people losing benefits: “I don’t know. I really don’t know.” [YouTube, 9News, 4/9/26]
    • New Mexico’s KOB 4 Eyewitness News: “Albuquerque food pantries prepare for SNAP program changes.” In an interview, Storehouse New Mexico representative Jill Beets said: “We do expect, as a food pantry, that we'll start seeing more people who need food, because if they don't have a way to pay for it with their SNAP benefits and their EBT card, they will need to get food somewhere." [YouTube, KOB 4 Eyewitness News, 4/30/26]

  • The Trump administration is also implementing new stocking standards for stores serving SNAP clients that hunger experts say will also likely reduce the number of participating stores

    • USDA announced its final rule unveiling “practical changes to retailer stocking standards promote more options.” In a press release, the Agriculture Department stated: “Retailers authorized to accept SNAP benefits must now carry seven varieties of items across four categories of staple foods: protein, grains, dairy, and fruits and vegetables. This change more than doubles the requirement of available foods, emphasizes more whole foods, increases the perishable food requirements, and eliminates loopholes that for too long have allowed retailers to count certain snack foods toward their staple food requirements.” The release noted that the rule change will take effect in fall 2026 and notes that the department will issue guidance to retailers “in the coming weeks.” [U.S. Department of Agriculture, 5/7/26]
    • Food Research & Action Center stated in March that the proposed rule “risks reducing food access for low-income households.” FRAC explained: “The proposed rule could push some retailers out of SNAP participation, exacerbating food access challenges for SNAP households. This risk is particularly significant for small retailers, which represent the majority of SNAP-authorized stores. According to USDA data, approximately 71 percent of SNAP-authorized retailers are small stores, including convenience stores, small grocery stores, and combination stores.” FRAC continued: “These retailers are essential in communities lacking transportation or nearby grocery stores, often located in food deserts. The USDA’s Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) predicts about 5,000 retailers could lose SNAP authorization under new rules, up from roughly 2,000 now. However, it claims that this will not harm SNAP participant access, though it provides little detail on how this conclusion was reached. It’s unclear how USDA estimated the number of impacted retailers, how many are small businesses, why it assumes all will reapply, or how temporary losses might impact food access. Even a brief loss of authorization can disrupt access for households relying on particular stores and lead to stressful moments at checkout if benefits are declined.” [Food Research & Action Center, 3/4/26]
    • FRAC was more explicit after USDA announced its final rule, stating: “FRAC warns USDA’s SNAP stocking rule risks shuttering thousands of small retailers, leaving families without food.” FRAC President Crystal FitzSimons said: “For those living in areas with no major grocery stores, the loss of these authorized SNAP retailers means losing the only accessible point of purchase for groceries – this is especially true for SNAP participants facing high mobility or transportation barriers. This rule arrives during a challenging policy and economic environment. Nearly one year after the budget reconciliation law, H.R. 1, went into effect, more than 2.5 million people have already lost access to SNAP benefits. This new retailer rule risks eliminating food access altogether for those who remain on the program.” [Food Research & Action Center, 5/7/26]
    • Center for Science in the Public Interest deputy director Joelle Johnson questioned whether the “true intent” of the new stocking standards is “slashing SNAP.” She continued: “The new requirements will hit small retailers, like corner and convenience stores, the hardest at the exact time that retailers in many states are struggling to navigate the implementation of SNAP waivers that restrict previously allowable SNAP purchases such as sweetened beverages and candy. Without a robust technical assistance plan to help retailers comply with the new rules, this could potentially lead to more retailers dropping out of the SNAP program.” [Center for Science in the Public Interest, 5/7/26]
    • In an interview with Grand Rapids, Michigan, station WZZM 13, Michigan State University SNAP expert Craig Carpenter said the changes to stocking standards are likely to limit “the number of locations where SNAP can be redeemed.” Carpenter pointed to 2016 changes in the stocking standards that were never fully implemented, saying: “The result of these changes was a reduction in the number of locations where SNAP could be redeemed, and thereby a reduction in access to food for those on SNAP.” He added: “These changes are likely to have a similar tradeoff in which, on one hand, some locations have improved options for healthy food, while, on the other hand, other locations no longer offer SNAP redemption. The latter impact disproportionately affects relatively impoverished areas in which SNAP users disproportionately reside, limiting access to food for those who most need it.” [WZZM 13, 5/7/26]

  • Fox has celebrated massive SNAP enrollment losses and the new Trump administration policy that is likely to restrict beneficiaries’ access to groceries

    • Fox personalities cheered news that millions of Americans were kicked off of SNAP. [Media Matters, 5/6/26]
    • Fox also pushed a right-wing policy change for SNAP that is estimated to kick off a further 6 million Americans from the program. If Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility for SNAP is ended, experts say it will likely kick 6 million more people off the program and raise administrative costs for states. [Media Matters, 5/6/26]
    • Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo on Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ announcement that stores with SNAP eligibility will have to stock more “nutritious food” items in order to qualify: “That’s wonderful, secretary. Really meaningful policy there. So thank you for that.” [Fox Business, Mornings with Maria, 5/7/26]
    • On another appearance about the new stocking standards, Rollins bragged: “We’ve already moved about 4 and a half million people off of food stamps, off of SNAP in just the last year. More to come.” [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 5/8/26]
    • Before the OBBBA’s passage, Fox guests called for cuts to SNAP, and the network has a long history of attacking the program. Republicans and conservative media figures argued on Fox in favor of spending cuts to SNAP and imposing expanded work requirements. Fox also has a long history of attacking the program, including as far back as a 2013, when Fox tried to make a “blissfully jobless” California surfer into the face of SNAP beneficiaries. [Media Matters, 6/27/25, 10/29/24, 12/5/19, 8/9/13]