More Than 40,000 Kentuckians Lose SNAP Benefits, Report Says

More than 40,000 Kentuckians have recently lost Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits following the implementation of House Resolution 1, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” according to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.

Jessica Klein, senior policy associate at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, said the losses amount to about 42,000 people out of roughly 600,000 Kentuckians who rely on food assistance.

Klein said SNAP plays a larger role in fighting hunger than many emergency food providers can match, providing nine meals for every one meal supplied by a food bank.

“When people lose their grocery money through SNAP, that puts huge amounts of pressure on food banks and churches that try to fill the gap, and the answer is that they can’t fill that gap,” Klein said.

The legislation eliminated eligibility for many lawfully present immigrants in Kentucky and created stricter work reporting requirements for recipients.

Because SNAP data is also used to determine eligibility for other federal programs, Klein said school nutrition funding could be affected as well. She warned that the changes could have long-term consequences for local economies, workers and retailers across Kentucky.

“We know that SNAP improves health,” Klein said. “Without SNAP, that means higher costs for our health care system. And SNAP is also a generator for local economies.”

The latest version of a 2026 Farm Bill from U.S. Senate lawmakers would continue shifting SNAP costs to states. Klein said that beginning in 2027 or 2028, Kentucky and other states will be required to review their error rates to determine how much they must pay to continue administering the program.