Nebraska is seeing a rapid drop in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enrollment, and advocates say children make up a significant share of the people losing help.
Data cited by the Nebraska Examiner shows the state recorded back-to-back monthly participation declines unlike any seen before, adding to fears that families still in need are slipping off food assistance.
Here’s what to know
At a Sept. 17 legislative hearing, Eric Savaiano, manager for food and nutrition access at Nebraska Appleseed, said shrinking SNAP rolls should not be read as proof that hunger is declining.
He warned lawmakers that the numbers instead show that tens of thousands fewer Nebraskans are getting aid while food insecurity remains severe.
In July, SNAP enrollment in Nebraska stood at 116,703 people. That was about 7,600 fewer than in June and nearly 33,000 fewer than in July 2025, a year-over-year decline of almost 22%.
Savaiano explained that children made up a large share of that yearly decline: About half involved people younger than 19, and 13% involved infants and children under 5.
He noted that the pattern was “shocking” and argued it does not mean “someone solved hunger last summer.”
“Fewer people on SNAP means hungry people, half of which are children, are experiencing more strain and struggle, more trips to limited food pantries and food banks, and more long-term pain for school nutrition programs and educators for the foreseeable future,” Savaiano stated.
More background
In its reporting, the Examiner connected the decline in SNAP and other public benefits to eligibility changes and tougher work requirements in the 2025 tax-and-spending measure, as well as Nebraska’s May rollout of new verification requirements for all applicants.
Appleseed maintained that those added state rules are excessively burdensome and deter eligible people from applying or staying on the program.
Savaiano told lawmakers that some SNAP recipients are required to prove who lives in their household, sometimes by having a neighbor sign forms. He said one rural resident, worried about being humiliated by their neighbors, eventually left SNAP.
Similar concerns surfaced repeatedly during the hearing.
Abbie Raikes, a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center who testified as a private individual, emphasized that good nutrition in early childhood is essential for healthy brain development.
Raikes and other academics testified that food insecurity can hurt school readiness, academic performance, and behavior.
What’s being done?
Jeff Powell, a spokesperson for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, said Nebraska adopted stricter verification after a federal law change required states to keep SNAP payment error rates below 6% or begin paying part of federal benefit costs in October 2027.
“The enhanced verification measures will ensure program integrity, error rates remain below 6%, and taxpayer dollars are protected,” he began.
“DHHS is working to streamline the new measures to achieve quicker benefit determinations and will ensure that all Nebraskans eligible for SNAP benefits can receive them.”
The hearing grew out of an interim study requested by state Sen. Victor Rountree of Bellevue that focused on pregnant and postpartum women and their children.
Rountree said food banks and pantries are running short on healthier foods as more families seek private assistance, while Savaiano wants future legislation to ease the verification process.
“Develop well now so we can have our children in school able to learn and be productive members in our society,” Rountree said.
Where can I learn more?
For more context on the pressures facing families, these stories explore related debates over SNAP access, household costs, and the policies shaping family well-being. They cover changes in state and federal programs and other efforts to lower expenses for low-income households.
• House Republicans’ Farm Bill proposal drew warnings that it would hurt farmers, communities, and forests.
• In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul expanded a food-waste program to ease pressure on struggling families.
• In Michigan, lawmakers proposed Solar for All funding to help low-income households cut bills.
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