The largest SNAP cuts in the program’s history are pushing families deeper into poverty and increasing the risk that they will be investigated by child protective services, according to an opinion essay published by STAT. The essay, written by Sandy Santana and Kristen Weber of the National Center for Youth Law, says at least 1.5 million children have already lost food assistance, and roughly 5 million people lost access between July 2025 and April 2026. The cuts stem from the budget reconciliation law H.R. 1, which reduces SNAP funding by an estimated $187 billion over eight years.
The authors argue that poverty and neglect are too often treated as the same thing. When families cannot afford food, housing, or child care, the resulting material hardship can be interpreted as neglect, bringing them into contact with child protective services. They cite an Illinois study linking high food insecurity to increased child maltreatment investigations, and note that 63% of credible maltreatment claims are for neglect alone. More than half of caregivers in contact with CPS live below the federal poverty line, and 60% of those caregivers reported receiving food assistance.
Santana and Weber point to Arizona as the starkest example: nearly half of the state’s enrolled children—180,000 kids—have lost benefits. They also cite long-term national data showing that states that expanded SNAP saw fewer CPS investigations, fewer substantiated reports of abuse and neglect, and fewer foster care placements. The authors argue that cutting food assistance and then punishing families for the resulting hardship is a misguided policy choice, and that investing in material supports would better protect children’s health and keep families together.