Food Stamp Participation Plummets Under Trump Presidency

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The number of people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or also referred to as food stamps) plummeted by 1.0% nationwide in just the first full month of Donald Trump's presidency.

According to data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there were 421,330 less food stamp participants in February 2017 than in January 2017.

Although nationwide statistical data is not available, there are anecdotal reports across the U.S. that immigrants, who are wary of deportation under a Trump administration, have stopped applying for food stamp benefits which could explain the sudden single-month drop in enrollment.

At -4.9%, the District of Columbia saw the biggest one month drop in food stamp enrollment following Trump's inauguration.

The top ten states which saw the biggest drop in food stamp enrollment during Trump's first month as President of the United States were:

Rhode Island -3.9%

Connecticut -2.7%

Arizona -2.0%

Texas -1.8%

Florida -1.7%

Georgia -1.7%

Maine -1.5%

Colorado -1.5%

Michigan -1.4%

Ohio -1.4%

Nearly 2 Million Less Food Stamp Participants Than A Year Ago

42,263,361 people were on food stamps in February 2017, down from 44,382,926 the same time last year. The drop in enrollment is saving taxpayers around $284 million a month in benefit costs.

There were about 32 million Americans on Food Stamps when President Barack Obama first took office in January 2009.

The top ten states that had the biggest year-over-year drop in food stamp enrollment were:

Arkansas -11.8%

Florida -10.8%

Mississippi -9.8%

District of Columbia -9.8%

Indiana -9.4%

Washington -9.1%

North Carolina -9.0%

Missouri -8.9%

Maryland -8.3%

Idaho -7.9%

Kansas -7.6%