Hundreds in Fayette, Greene lose SNAP benefits

Jul 9, 2026 By Karen Mansfield 3 min read

One year after President Donald Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” millions of people have lost their SNAP benefits due to rule changes in the landmark tax and spending law.

Nationwide, more than 3.5 million people – almost 9% of individuals – have lost access to the food assistance between July 2025 and March 2026, as states implement new eligibility requirements and stricter application processes, according to an analysis conducted by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research and policy institute.

In Pennsylvania, 200,976 people – including 3,426 in Washington County, 2,678 in Fayette County, and 722 in Greene County, and more than 17,000 in Allegheny County – have lost access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits, according to statistics from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. That is a decline of 12%, 9%, and 10%, respectively, in SNAP recipients since last July.

Nationwide, SNAP participation declined 10% over the past year.

SNAP, which provides benefits to low-income families, remains the nation’s largest anti-hunger program, serving more than 42 million Americans in 2025; for every meal provided by food charities, SNAP provides nine.

“That’s your neighbors, their children, people with disabilities, veterans, and working families that are being denied critical food assistance,” said Just Harvest non-profit group based in Allegheny County that fights hunger by working to fix the root causes of poverty. “SNAP provides the support needed to build bridges to stability during a time when the costs of living are higher than ever. Families are being challenged with the decision between paying their bills and buying groceries.”

SNAP participation has declined in every state, CBPP found, yet the unemployment rate has held steady at about 4% since July. CBPP said in its report that it’s “very unlikely” that reduced need is prompting SNAP participation to fall.

Starting in 2027, most states will have to pay between 5% and 15% of SNAP benefit costs based on payment error rates, expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars a year in many states.

“The state may face $410 million in new SNAP benefits costs, in addition to $115 million in new annual administrative costs. That means $525 million more to account for in the state budget, threatening not only the stability and reach of SNAP, but also other state priorities like healthcare, education, child care, and housing,” Just Harvest said.

Just Harvest said the SNAP payment error rates reflect the complexities of the program – paperwork issues, reporting complications, and administrative mistakes.

“The mistakes are not fraud; they are the result of understaffing, complicated and shifting rules, and limited resources. The true fraud that exists is the hundreds of millions being stolen from EBT households through SNAP skimming,” said Just Harvest. “States need time to improve operations and accuracy (for) the communities that rely on this.”

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act also created stricter rules for people accessing SNAP benefits. Previously, certain individuals were limited to three months of SNAP benefits every three years unless they worked 20 hours per week or they qualified for an exemption.

The legislation expands those work requirements to individuals ages 55 through 64; parents of minor children ages 14 and up; and people who are homeless, veterans or former foster youth. Certain legal U.S. residents who are not citizens are now ineligible for SNAP benefits.