Food insecurity is expected to rise in North Texas as cuts to federal programs are planned.
Tarrant Area Food Bank officials are appealing to residents during a campaign to raise funds as needs are expected to increase daily given cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps.
鈥淲e鈥檙e disappointed with where we are and what this means for the local community,鈥� Julie Butner, president and CEO of the Tarrant Area Food Bank, told the Fort Worth Report. 鈥淛ust to put it in perspective, this represents about 9 billion meals that will be cut by the SNAP benefit. Last year all 200 food banks (in the nation) provided 6.2 billion meals, collectively.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a pretty significant cut,鈥� she added.
SNAP cuts are part of a spending plan under what is known as the , which Congress approved and President Donald Trump signed into law. The changes are expected to affect Texas in fiscal year 2028, although the size of the cuts are still undetermined since they will be based on the percentage of how often the state opts into paying benefit recipients.
Butner said now is the time to strengthen local efforts.
鈥淲hen federal support is cut, the need and responsibility don鈥檛 go away 鈥� it falls on local partners and community members, who are already working hard to help their neighbors through tough times,鈥� Butner said in a fundraising campaign. 鈥淲e know we can鈥檛 do this alone; addressing hunger is a shared responsibility that calls on all of us to stand together.鈥�
SNAP benefits paid for by the federal government will prompt states to cover a portion of benefits based on the percentage of erroneous payments. Those states with an error rate under 6% won鈥檛 be affected although states with higher percentages will be responsible for costs tied to their error rate, according to .
Texas 鈥� with an error rate of 8.3% in fiscal 2024 鈥� will be financially responsible for 10% of the SNAP benefits, or $716 million per year, according to the North Texas Food Bank.
The bill also limits residents between the ages of 52 and 65, and parents with children over 14, to three months of benefits unless they can document 20 hours of work per week.
Exemptions are made for veterans, people experiencing homelessness and youths who were formerly in the foster care system. The SNAP-Ed program will be eliminated and benefit levels used to calculate SNAP benefits have been changed, adding to food insecurity, officials said.
鈥淚f enacted, this bill would represent the largest rollback of food assistance in U.S. history,鈥� Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, the state association of food banks, said in a statement made before Trump signed the bill. 鈥淭he consequences would be profound and devastating. Millions of Americans 鈥� including children, seniors, veterans, and working families 鈥� could go hungry. In addition to the significant and undue harm for vulnerable Americans, the bill also deals a blow to farmers, grocers, and our state and local economies.鈥�
Feeding Texas estimated that the state would need to pay for 75% of the administrative cost of SNAP 鈥� about $89.5 million annually 鈥� up from the current 50% rate.
Butner was concerned that current local support for food banks is unlikely to cover the anticipated shortfall.
鈥淲e鈥檝e certainly let our donor community know what鈥檚 going on, but people are waiting to see the implications and impact,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 do think the individual donors and foundations are also concerned about what鈥檚 happening with the stock market. People give when they have the wherewithal to give, and when the stock market is jumping up and down as it is, it makes people nervous to give charitably because they鈥檙e concerned about their own financial predicament.鈥�
Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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