SNAP cuts to significantly impact poor community, children says El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Interim President

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) - SNAP cuts resulting from the enactment of House Resolution 1 also known as 'The Big Beautiful Bill' will have a larger impact on EL Paso due to its higher poverty rate according to Interim President of El Pasoans Fighting Hunger (EPFH) Chris Yagel.

These cuts come from H.R. 1 cutting $187 billion from the program over the next decade in addition to creating an 80 hour per month work requirement for body-abled individuals as well as raising the age of people applicable to 64 from 54 years old.

Texas has seen the impact at one of the higher rates in the nation, with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reporting from when the bill was enacted in July of 2025 until its most recent reports in April of this year SNAP participation in Texas has dropped over 13% from just over 3.5 million to just over 3 million.

Yagel said El Paso area feels the impact more due to having one of the higher poverty rates, citing UTEP's most recent study finding a 40% poverty rate which he said is twice the national and Texas average. Most alarmingly, Yagel said, to him and EPFH are the unknowns.

"Changes are happening, that's the only thing we know for certain so what that translates to here at our level we're not exactly sure yet," Yagel said. "That's alarming. So we just have to try to keep doing what we're doing as far as sourcing food, gathering donations, and funding."

Children who rely on school breakfast and lunch programs to get a reliable source of food is one of Yagel's biggest concerns as summer is a period where that goes away.

"The kids that during school get breakfast guaranteed and lunch guaranteed are coming into a time where there's instability," Yagel said. "They don't know am I going to get breakfast today? am I get it tomorrow?"

"That creates distress, especially in the younger generations," Yagel said. "Anxiety goes up which can create mental health issues."

Yagel said he's already making plans on how the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger will need to adjust as the demand on local food banks will likely increase.