Arizona Leads Nation in Cutting Food Assistance as Federal Law Tightens Eligibility Rules
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Arizona SNAP Cuts Hit 400,000 Recipients as Federal HR 1 Law Tightens Eligibility
A new study reveals Arizona has cut more food stamp recipients than any other state in the nation, with over 400,000 Arizonans losing SNAP benefits since July 2025. The decline includes approximately 180,000 children, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
The drop in food assistance comes from a federal law requiring states to tighten eligibility or face financial penalties.
For residents like Jenny Duncan, the impact has been immediate and painful. Duncan, who lives in Whitman and has a disability, relied on SNAP benefits to help cover basic food costs. She received about $300 a month — the maximum amount for an individual — until she lost her benefits last winter.
"SNAP was actually really beneficial," Duncan said. "The only income that I have coming in is a small loan from a family member, and it's barely enough to cover my bills."
Without that assistance, Duncan says she's been forced to make difficult choices.
"Without it, you're eating a lot more potatoes," Duncan said. "I've also had to put things on credit cards that are near max anyway."
Duncan is one of nearly 47 percent of Arizonans who have lost SNAP benefits since July, according to the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Federal Law Drives Statewide Cuts
The reductions stem from new restrictions implemented under President Donald Trump's sweeping federal legislation, which he called the Big Beautiful Bill. The law provided significant tax cuts and major reductions in social programs, including tightening SNAP eligibility rules nationwide.
Under the new federal guidelines, states must lower their SNAP error rate to 6 percent or face significant financial penalties. Arizona's current rate is 8.8 percent — far lower than the percentage of Empowerment Scholarship Account parents who have misused funds, according to 12News — but it must be brought down to avoid financial consequences.
Otherwise, Arizona would have to cover $195.4 million for SNAP benefits in 2028.
The significant drop in SNAP participants has occurred under Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat. However, she's not happy about it.
"We're seeing people lose their benefits because of a so-called crackdown on fraud," Hobbs said. "Which is really nothing more than bureaucratic paperwork making it harder for people to get food that they need on their tables."
Department of Economic Security Responds
The Department of Economic Security has been under scrutiny since the end of 2025 after long wait times and lack of staffing for processing SNAP and unemployment benefits.
In December, the governor directed millions of dollars toward adding temporary staffing and enhancing technology. The department has been working to remove Arizona's SNAP error rate.
According to DES, the SNAP error rate represents underpayments or overpayments made in the program from miscalculations, typically because of a recipient's income.
DES released a full statement on the recent decrease:
The recent decrease in the SNAP caseload in Arizona, which is reported in our online statistical bulletin, is a direct reflection of a rapidly evolving federal landscape and a proactive, statewide commitment to long-term program sustainability.
DES is currently navigating one of the most significant structural changes to federal nutrition assistance in decades. The passage of H.R. 1 in July 2025 introduced immediate and permanent changes to SNAP eligibility and imposed new quality review measures on states.
Arizona, like many states, saw a swift impact due to several key provisions that became effective upon the bill's passage. The drop in cases reflects Arizona's diligent and immediate implementation of H.R. 1 requirements. Specifically, federal changes to able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWD) exemptions have been a significant driver in case closures since the implementation of H.R. 1.
The remaining case closures are attributed to other H.R. 1 changes, including efforts aimed at addressing the payment error rate (PER) and attrition under long-standing SNAP eligibility criteria.
By focusing on administrative accuracy and reducing the PER now, we are safeguarding the long-term viability of SNAP for those who qualify, ensuring the program remains a stable resource for vulnerable Arizonans, DES said.
Political Anger Over SNAP Cuts
Every Republican in the state's congressional delegation voted for HR 1 — including the food stamp provisions. Republican Congressman David Schweikert, however, had his own take on the sudden drop in SNAP recipients.
"States were incentivized to reduce errors and manage benefits efficiently," Schweikert said of HR 1.
But he said that 10.4 percent error rate in the most recent fiscal year meant that Arizona had to do a lot more culling of ineligible recipients.
"Arizona's outsized reductions are a clear outlier, demonstrating the management failures of this governor," Schweikert said.
He also pointed out something else: 50 workers at the state Department of Economic Security — about 5 percent of the workforce — were laid off in the summer of 2025, a move the state blamed on other federal budget cuts. That came at the expense of eligibility workers, with DES saying the number of workers who reviewed food stamps eligibility dropped by 1,370 in July 2024 to 880 this past July.
An agency spokesman said it was processing an estimated 54,000 new and renewal applications, of which 18,000 were taking more than 30 days.
Contrast With School Voucher Spending
The story of Arizona's food assistance cuts is hard to ignore when contrasted with the state's rapidly growing school voucher system.
While SNAP primarily serves low-income residents, 12News found that Empowerment Scholarship Account funds often are used by higher-income families. Hobbs argues the voucher program should face the same level of oversight as SNAP.
It is an entitlement as is SNAP, she said. We should be seeing the same kind of regulations on ESAs as we do with SNAP.
The governor says the two programs are not directly connected, but she acknowledges that the rapid growth of ESAs is putting pressure on Arizona's already tight budget — affecting decisions across the board.
Within the first year of expansion, about 62,000 students joined the program. That number climbed to nearly 75,000 the following year, then to more than 85,000. Today, more than 100,000 students are enrolled.
The cost has risen just as dramatically. Before expansion, the program cost about $176 million annually, according to state records. It has since ballooned to $1 billion last year, with projections reaching $1.2 billion.
12News Investigates has uncovered that roughly 20 percent of parents using the state's Empowerment Scholarship Account program misspent more than $10 million in tax dollars during much of last year.
Records show that state Schools Chief Tom Horne's office allowed parents to buy more than 84,000 items that were banned from December 2024 through around September 2025, when he ordered the automatic approval of all ESA purchases under $2,000 due to a backlog.
Parents went on a spending spree at taxpayers' expense. Records show they bought $1,500 gift cards, electric dirt bikes, and even sexually explicit items like condoms and lubricants.
ESA is supposed to be helping kids, Duncan said. But if we're not feeding our kids, it's kind of astonishing that they have put one thing over the other. You have to eat — you don't need a tablet for school.
Looking Ahead
The data from DES shows a continued sharp decline in food stamp recipients, down from 598,852 in December to 485,460 in February.
But DES spokesman Brett Bezio says the situation should stabilize as the state adapts to the new federal requirements.
It is important to note that we believe most of the impact of the changes from HR 1 has been realized, and we will begin to see consistency in the SNAP caseload in the months ahead, Bezio said.
As other states fully implement the provisions of HR 1 and Arizona stabilizes, we expect differences in caseload decline between other states to more closely align.
Governor Hobbs has requested an additional $48.4 million for the department for the coming budget year, including 146 new employees. She said it should cut delays as well as help ensure the state gets below the error rate at which point there would be penalties.
However, the political tensions remain. With the SNAP cuts affecting nearly half a million Arizonans, the debate over food assistance continues to be a flashpoint in state politics.