Nearly 100,000 Tennesseans Lose SNAP Benefits Since Federal Law Change
A Nashville cancer patient living in a women’s shelter is among nearly 100,000 Tennesseans stripped of SNAP food benefits since a federal law change took effect in July 2025.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE — A cancer patient living in a Nashville women’s shelter lost her $300 monthly food assistance in April, joining nearly 100,000 Tennesseans who have been cut from the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program since a federal policy change took effect last year.
State enrollment data shows that 597,890 Tennesseans received some level of SNAP benefits in May 2026, down from 696,000 in July 2025. This indicates that one out of every seven individuals who relied on the benefit last year no longer receives it, according to the Tennessee Lookout.
A Cancer Patient’s Story
Cassandra Boyle, who is approaching her 60th birthday, moved to Nashville in December after a series of setbacks in her hometown of Minneapolis-St. Paul. She had been laid off from her job, her recently purchased used car broke down on the freeway, and she depleted both her savings and retirement funds to keep up with rent while searching for new work with limited transportation options.
Weeks after arriving in Tennessee, Boyle was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She began undergoing treatment at Vanderbilt University Medical Center while staying at a women’s shelter.
In January, Boyle qualified for a $300 monthly SNAP benefit to supplement the shelter’s food offerings with the fresh and healthy foods her healthcare providers recommended. Her benefits were terminated in April.
“The notice said I was denied because I am able-bodied,” Boyle said. The denial notice came from the Tennessee Department of Human Services, which administers the federal SNAP program in the state.
Federal Policy Behind the Drop
The decline in enrollment coincides with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act under the Trump administration, which took effect in July 2025, according to the Tennessee Lookout. The law introduced new eligibility restrictions that have resulted in widespread benefit terminations across Tennessee.
The Tennessee Department of Human Services administers SNAP at the state level and issued the notices to individuals whose benefits were ended under the new federal requirements.
Scale of the Reduction
The drop of approximately 98,000 recipients between July 2025 and May 2026 represents a significant reduction in food aid access across Tennessee. State enrollment figures tracked by the Tennessee Department of Human Services document the month-by-month decline since the federal law’s implementation.
Boyle’s case illustrates the human impact of those enrollment changes. Living in a shelter while receiving cancer treatment, she had used her SNAP benefit to purchase foods aligned with her medical team’s dietary guidance — access she no longer has after the April termination.
