Kentucky Governor says 80,000+ Kentuckians have lost SNAP, calls on federal leaders to act

The governor’s office says the total includes 24,655 children and 6,572 seniors, and is blaming changes in the federal “Big Ugly Bill”.

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Gov. Andy Beshear is asking the federal government to do something about food assistance in Kentucky.

This week, Beshear’s office says, the governor sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and another to Kentucky’s congressional delegation. Both raise concerns about changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). According to the governor’s team, those changes have left 80,622 Kentuckians without SNAP, including 24,655 children and 6,572 seniors.

In the letter to Rollins, dated Oct. 14, Beshear writes that more people are going hungry in Kentucky because of the changes. His office attributes the losses to what the letter calls President Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill.” The governor’s team says the law significantly reduced benefits, expanded work requirements and shifted costs to states.

“We should be fighting hunger, not causing it,” Beshear said in a statement released by his office. He called the changes “cruel and unnecessary” and said he is asking both the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, and members of the state’s congressional delegation to ensure vulnerable Kentuckians “do not go hungry for reasons beyond their control.”

Breaking down the numbers

The governor’s team attached a table to the letter tracking SNAP enrollment in Kentucky from October 2025 through September 2026. According to that table:

• Households receiving SNAP fell from 307,115 to 266,058, a drop of 41,057.
• Total individuals fell from 627,164 to 546,542.
• Children enrolled fell from 248,107 to 223,452.
• Seniors fell from 97,255 to 90,683.

The table shows the largest single-month decline in the most recent month listed. Total individuals dropped from 584,325 in August to 546,542 in September.

Why kids are a particular worry

Beshear’s team says the impact on children reaches beyond the dinner table. The letter explains that a child’s SNAP eligibility is tied to other meal programs, including free and reduced-price school lunches and Summer EBT. When SNAP goes away, the governor’s office says, a child may also go hungry at school and during the summer.

“School meals and summer programs are what so many children depend on for food,” Beshear said in the statement. “Because of the President’s actions, now even those dependable sources of food will be taken from our most vulnerable kids. It’s wrong, and action needs to be taken.”

The governor’s office also cited a national estimate that around 5 million Americans, including more than 1 million children, have lost SNAP benefits since July 2025.

A new state tracker puts a price on Kentucky's benefit errors

Kentucky's auditor just published a running tally of state benefit errors. It lands as the state dismantles its SNAP investigation team. I'm Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity. This story is a 'Shay Original'

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