05/28/2026
Kansas Appleseed is alarmed following new national data showing a sharp decline in children receiving SNAP food assistance under H.R. 1, with Kansas families already feeling the consequences.
Since the enactment of the federal H.R. 1 legislation, more than 21,000 Kansans have lost SNAP assistance, including over 10,000 Kansas children.
“These are not just abstract numbers. These are Kansas kids losing access to food,” said Haley Kottler, Senior Campaign Director at Kansas Appleseed.
Kansas Appleseed warned that H.R. 1’s SNAP changes threaten not only household food security, but the broader nutrition safety net that Kansas families rely on. SNAP participation is a critical link to other nutrition programs, including free school meals, SUN Bucks, and the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). In Kansas, school meal access depends heavily on direct certification systems tied to SNAP enrollment. When families lose SNAP, children can lose their pathway to school breakfast and lunch, and summer nutrition support, while school districts face new challenges in identifying and connecting eligible students to meal programs.
“In Kansas, this will mean more children falling through the cracks, more pressure on schools and food banks, and greater hardship for families already struggling with high grocery and housing costs,” said Haley Kottler. “This has real implications for Kansas children to access the nutrition they need to learn, grow, and thrive.”
We urge Congress to intervene before federal SNAP cost shifts force Kansas into deeper cuts that put more low-income families and children at risk of hunger. This next wave of harm is not inevitable. It is preventable.
