Enrollments in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fell by more than 17% in Connecticut following passage last year of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the signature legislation backed by the Trump administration, according to a new report from the nonprofit Connecticut Voices for Children.
“We are seeing impacts at nearly every town in the state — urban, rural, suburban,” said Ruchi Sheth, a research and policy associate at Connecticut Voices. “All age groups, children, seniors and adults. It's nearly 63,000 people.”
Over the past year, SNAP delivered between $60 million and $70 million in federal benefits to Connecticut each month, spent quickly at local retailers. Based on the cumulative enrollment decline, the state stands to lose approximately $155 million in annual SNAP benefits, data shows.
The largest projected town-level losses fall in Hartford ($16.8 million), Waterbury ($14.1 million), New Haven ($13.5 million) and Bridgeport ($13 million) — communities that are among the state’s poorest.
Sheth emphasized that the decline is not a one-time effect, but is persistent and exceeds an initial projection by the Department of Social Services. As of July 2026, SNAP enrollment had set a new decade low for 13 consecutive months.
The disenrollments significantly increased after Connecticut began verifying expanded work requirements in December 2025. While work requirements for SNAP are not new, federal legislation expanded them to include people up to age 64, up from 54 previously, and narrowed some exemptions, including for parents with children. Those with children under 14 are exempt, down from 18 previously.
The state stepped in to provide one-time individual grocery benefits of $300 to many of those who were affected. The move is part of a broader $33 million investment in state-funded food assistance.
In a statement, Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont said the federal cutbacks "represent a cruel decision to pull food away from people who need it most."
“Connecticut is providing this food assistance as a bridge to prevent people from going hungry as we help them navigate these federal changes,” he said.
Lamont urged Congress to reverse the cuts — and he's not alone in doing so.
Dr. Jeff Gordon, a Republican state senator from Woodstock, said he opposes eliminating SNAP benefits for U.S. citizens and people who are in the country legally. Immigrants without documentation are not eligible for SNAP.
Gordon, who serves on the state’s public health and appropriations committees, said he was deeply concerned by the budget implications for states. He said he was hopeful that “there would be some bipartisan common sense in Washington.”
“There's no way Connecticut can fill that gap,” he said. “We might, short-term, [but] no way long-term unless we start cutting back on other things. I don't want to see cutbacks in public education, infrastructure, law enforcement.”
The federal share of administrative costs will fall from 50% to 25%, raising Connecticut’s share from about $79 million to roughly $120 million — about $40 million more per year, Connecticut Voices estimates.
Beginning late next year, states with payment error rates above federal thresholds must also finance part of benefit costs. The report notes that error rates measure the state's accuracy with eligibility and benefit determinations, including both overpayments and underpayments, and aren't equivalent to fraud.
Combined, these provisions are projected to add roughly $131 million in new annual cost to the state budget, according to the report.
