About 100,000 people in Tennessee have lost federal food aid since July 2025, according to state enrollment data. This drop in enrollment coincides with a new law from the Trump administration that overhauled many of the program’s rules.

Changes to SNAP Program

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act cut $186 billion from the SNAP program and added new requirements for recipients to hold down a job or attend school. Previously, the rules made exceptions for individuals over the age of 55, veterans, children aging out of foster care, and individuals experiencing homelessness. Now, these individuals must work or attend training or school to get the food assistance.

Cassandra Doyle, a 60-year-old woman from Minneapolis-St. Paul, is one of the Tennesseans who lost her SNAP benefits. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and was living in a woman’s shelter while undergoing treatment at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Doyle had qualified for a $300 Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program to supplement the food provided at the shelter, but she lost that benefit in April.

Doyle’s situation highlights the challenges faced by many Tennesseans who have lost their SNAP benefits. The Tennessee Justice Center, a Nashville-based nonprofit legal advocacy organization, said the steep drop in enrollment since the legislation’s adoption makes the correlation clear. “Tennesseans did not suddenly stop needing help putting food on the table,” said Signe Anderson, senior director of nutrition advocacy at the Tennessee Justice Center. “What changed was the law. New barriers and paperwork requirements have made it harder for working families, older adults, veterans, and children to access the nutrition assistance that they are qualified to receive.”

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.