Arizona Leads Nation in SNAP Cuts as HR 1 Enforcement Leaves 400,000 Without Food Aid

Arizona's 47% SNAP Drop Outpaces Other States

Arizona has lost the highest percentage of food stamp recipients in the nation since Congress approved HR 1, according to a new study released today.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation in Arizona dropped by more than 400,000 people since the federal law was enacted in July and December, leaving fewer than 490,000 recipients as of February.

That represents a 47% decrease, compared to a 32% nationwide drop and a 6% decline from USDA data. The study by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities found that Arizona lost 180,000 children from the program.

Arizona had fewer than 490,000 SNAP recipients as of February.

The federal law, dubbed the Big Beautiful Bill by President Donald Trump, included work requirements for able-bodied single adults up to age 65 and shifted more costs of administering the program to states.

The law also penalizes states that do not bring error rates down below 6%, requiring them to cover 15% to 100% of actual benefit costs.

Staffing Shortages Complicate Implementation

Gubernatorial press aide Christian Slater said the sharp decline in Arizona is complicated by staffing issues at the Department of Economic Security.

About 500 workers — roughly 5% of the DES workforce — were laid off in the summer of 2025, a move the state blamed on other federal budget cuts.

The number of workers who review food stamp eligibility dropped by 1,370 in July 2024 to 880 last July.

The department was processing an estimated 54,000 new and renewal SNAP applications, of which 18,000 were taking more than 30 days.

Arizona, aware of the penalties for not getting its error rate down, was proactive in doing the greater checks to ensure that only those eligible under the new HR 1 rules are getting the aid.

But with fewer staff, that resulted in some applications and renewals being delayed or denied outright when people could not provide the required information.

Political Fallout

In December, Governor Katie Hobbs responded by earmarking $7.5 million in unused federal COVID-19 funds to address what she called staffing constraints at DES.

That included hiring temporary workers and expanding the departments capacity to verify applicants incomes.

Despite these efforts, DES data shows a continued sharp decline in food stamp recipients, down from 598,852 in December to 485,460 in February.

Partisan Divide

Every Republican in Arizonas congressional delegation voted for HR 1, including food stamp provisions.

Republican Congressman David Schweikert took a different approach to the sudden drop in SNAP recipients.

States were incentivized to reduce errors and manage benefits efficiently, he said.

But he said that 10.4% error rate in the most recent fiscal year meant that Arizona had to do a lot more culling of ineligible recipients.

Arizonas outsized reductions are a clear outlier, demonstrating the management failures of this governor, Schweikert said.

He also pointed out that Republicans in Congress pushed for the law despite its impact on vulnerable populations.

DES Defense

DES spokesman Brett Bezio defended the agencies actions.

It is important to note that we believe most of the impact of the changes from HR 1 have 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.

Arizona still faces significant financial penalties if it cannot get its error rate down below 6%. The state Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting reported that if the error rate remains at 8.8%, Arizona could have to cover $195.4 million in the 2027-2028 fiscal year.

And if the error rate hits 10%, that figure could reach nearly $300 million.

Looking Ahead

Describing Arizonas situation, Slater said what is happening here and what he believes will soon occur in other states is precisely what was intended by the Trump administration.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, in announcing a 3.3 million reduction in SNAP recipients, called it a signal that the federal government is once again working for the American public.

But Hobbs has requested an additional $48.4 million for DES in 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.

Sources

• Arizona Capitol Times: https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/arizona-sees-highest-reduction-in-food-stamp-recipients-after-hr-1-study-finds
• KJZZ: https://www.kjzz.org/politics/2026-04-09/study-arizona-snap-recipients-dropped-47-since-big-beautiful-bill-more-than-any-other-state
• Arizona Daily Star: https://tucson.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/article_fc0c21a5-1ae4-402e-884c-bb4da2b89ad6.html