Why Millions Are Losing SNAP—and What It Means for Hunger in America

About This Episode

Why are millions of Americans losing SNAP food assistance—even when many remain eligible? In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, host Billy Shore speaks with Jason DeParle, poverty correspondent for The New York Times, and Sharon Parrott, president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, about the sharp decline in SNAP participation, new administrative barriers, and the human consequences for children, families, seniors, and people with disabilities. DeParle shares reporting from Arizona, where SNAP participation has fallen by about half in one year and families describe hours-long waits, unanswered calls, and paperwork requirements that prevent eligible people from receiving food assistance. Parrott explains how changes in federal policy are shifting SNAP costs to states, creating new incentives to reduce enrollment and raising concerns that some states could ultimately end the program altogether. They also discuss the connection between food insecurity and mental health, the risks to Medicaid and ACA marketplace coverage, the impact on immigrant families, and what listeners can do to make policymakers understand the stakes. Listen to this urgent conversation about SNAP, hunger, food assistance, poverty, public policy, and the choices shaping who can afford groceries in America.