Analysis estimates 1.5 million Latinos have lost SNAP benefits since the tax law passed

More than 1.5 million Latinos nationwide have lost food assistance since Congress passed the Republican tax law in July 2025, according to an analysis released October 20 by Unrig Our Economy and Americans for Tax Fairness. The two groups said the figure is an estimate, and Common Dreams reported on it the same day.

The analysis, which Unrig Our Economy published online, counts people who left the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, between July 2025 and the date of the most recent data in each state. Seven states account for roughly half of the national total, with an estimated 771,687 Latinos losing benefits, the groups said.

State by state

Texas had the largest estimated loss. The groups put it at 396,164 Latinos, which they said made up 56 percent of the 707,435 people who lost SNAP in the state. Latinos are 41 percent of the Texas population, according to the analysis.

Arizona followed, with an estimated 200,124 Latinos among 416,924 people who lost benefits, or 48 percent of the total. Latinos are 33 percent of Arizona’s population. In New York, the groups estimated 92,816 Latinos among 272,988 people who lost benefits, or 34 percent, in a state where Latinos are 21 percent of the population.

The remaining four states in the analysis were Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Nebraska and Iowa. The groups estimated 42,435 Latinos lost benefits in Pennsylvania, 26,164 in New Jersey, 11,127 in Nebraska and 2,857 in Iowa. In New Jersey, Latinos were 47 percent of those who lost SNAP and 24 percent of the population. In Pennsylvania the shares were 18 percent and 10 percent, in Nebraska 28 percent and 14 percent, and in Iowa 13 percent and 8 percent.

How the estimate was made

The groups said they assumed SNAP enrollees of all races and ethnicities were equally likely to have lost benefits. Under that assumption, the Latino share of each state’s losses matches the Latino share of its SNAP enrollment, not a measured difference in who was cut off.

Unrig Our Economy said it used 2024 American Community Survey data on SNAP participation and ethnicity obtained through IPUMS, state participation figures for July 2025 from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities tracker, and Census Bureau figures for each state’s Latino population share. It said it replicated a methodology previously used by UnidosUS.

The analysis covers only the seven states listed. The national figure of more than 1.5 million is the groups’ own estimate.

Broader enrollment decline

Common Dreams separately reported that the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has found roughly 5 million fewer people participating in SNAP over the past year, an average enrollment drop of 12 percent. It reported that eight states had declines of 20 percent or more, with Arizona’s the largest at 45 percent. The center said the declines started before the 2025 reconciliation law took effect, according to the outlet.

What the groups said

Leor Tal, campaign director for Unrig Our Economy, said the Republican tax law took food assistance away from more than 1.5 million Latinos, and said high grocery and gas costs make the cuts harder on Latino families.

Jodie Rubenstein, executive director of Americans for Tax Fairness, said: “We cannot allow billionaire wealth to grow unchecked while communities go hungry.” Americans for Tax Fairness describes itself as a coalition of more than 420 endorsing organizations that support progressive tax reform.