Trump SNAP cuts hit vulnerable Texas foster kids

America’s safety net for feeding families, especially children, is failing. 

On Monday the Trump administration announced it would only partially pay Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to the 42 million Americans who rely on them. 

SNAP, the nation’s largest nutrition assistance program, is often what keeps children in poverty from going hungry. When federal cuts hit, they are the most vulnerable, and those in foster care or transitioning out of the system are even more at risk because of home instability. 

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There are about 400,000 children in foster care nationwide, with some 30,000 children in Texas. 

“It’s not someone begging for free stuff. It’s someone who needs a foundation asking for help,” said Dulce Bebee, 21, a Texas State University student who spent much of her childhood in foster care. Earlier this year, she moved into a transitional living center in Central Texas. The staff urged her to apply for grocery assistance through SNAP.  

She tried, again and again. Each time, she was denied.

Now, under a new rule tucked into the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill, young adults aging out of foster care must work, volunteer or attend school for at least 80 hours per month to qualify for benefits. Bebee’s college course load totals only 60 hours, and in her small town, jobs that could make up the extra 20 hours are scarce. 

“I’m still looking for work,” she said. “But how am I supposed to feed myself if I can’t even get a job, and how am I supposed to get a job to feed myself?”  

For Bebe, the prospect of getting assistance feels impossible.

Critics of SNAP have long racialized and stigmatized those who depend on it. Racist social media posts over Halloween depicted white women in blackface mocking SNAP recipients. Then U.A. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., told SNAP recipients to “stop smoking crack.”

But the fact is that nearly 40% of those helped are white. Lost in the noise are the children and young adults who are trying to survive. 

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Under SNAP, each household member can receive $298 per month, depending on the family size. The funds are put on an electronic card that is used like a debit card at any store that accepts SNAP. 

With the cuts to the program, organizations and even community groups are trying to fill the gap.

H-E-B has stepped up with a $6 million donation to help food banks and senior programs. Catholic Charities is extending hours and increasing food distribution at its three food pantries — the Guadalupe Center, 326 Jensen Drive; Beacon of Hope Isle Market in Galveston, and Mamie George Community Center, 1111 Collins Road. The agency is also providing emergency rental assistance to federal workers during the government shutdown. 

The Houston Food Bank held multiple food distribution events last weekend. And San Antonio Mayor Ortiz Jones announced last week that the city had raised $1.6 million to help families impacted by the cuts. 

In Houston, BEAR (Be A Resource for Children), which supports children in foster care, is bracing for the impact of the SNAP cuts to its families.

“We are particularly concerned about families who are already struggling to meet their basic needs. The loss of SNAP and WIC (the federal food program for women and children) benefits puts these children at risk, as caregivers may be unable to provide for their well-being, potentially leading to interventions,” said Merri Hahn, BEAR’s community engagement director. 

The organization is accepting donations of essential items such as hygiene products, formula, diapers and wipes, feminine hygiene products, blankets, and more, as well as financial contributions. Volunteers are also needed. 

Food pantries may be Bebee’s only option, but without transportation, getting to them is a challenge. She said gift cards for groceries from Carrying Hope, an Austin-based nonprofit that provides resources to youth in foster care, have helped. 

“I’m trying to become a speech language pathologist, get my master’s and go into clinical care. I want to do good and help other people. I want a stable job. I want health insurance,” Bebee said. 

Her struggle isn’t a glitch in the system. It’s a system that tells people in poverty to be self-sufficient while denying them the support that makes it possible. We ask young people to pull themselves up by bootstraps that don’t exist.

Bebee is doing all she can — studying, searching for work and trying to eat.