White House eliminates SNAP-Ed nutrition program amid healthy eating push
8 reported1 unconfirmed
The Trump administration eliminated the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program, known as SNAP-Ed, when President Trump signed a Republican spending and tax bill last summer. The program, which has funded community cooking classes, farmers markets in low-income neighborhoods, and school nutrition lessons in every U.S. state for decades, was described as a "pillar of the public health infrastructure in the US" in a Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior report. Nutrition advocates and public health experts expressed confusion over the decision, given the administration's Make America Healthy Again efforts focused on reducing consumption of ultra-processed foods. Federal funding for SNAP-Ed stopped at the end of September 2025, but states with leftover money have until the end of September 2026 to spend it. The White House did not provide specifics on how eliminating the program aligned with MAHA goals but said the law strengthened SNAP for future generations and provided tax cuts. The USDA stated it would maintain some nutrition education through other initiatives like the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program and FoodSafety.gov.
What’s reported
SNAP-Ed was eliminated when President Trump signed HR 1 into law last July.
The program had a $536 million budget last fiscal year; the federal government spent $99.8 billion on SNAP in the previous fiscal year.
Federal funding for SNAP-Ed stopped at the end of September 2025; states have until the end of September 2026 to spend leftover money.
SNAP-Ed educational programming reached 1.8 million Americans in 2022, according to the USDA.
The program traces its origins to the Food Stamp Act of 1977 and expanded under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.
Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Pa., told The Washington Post that "data shows it hasn't moved the dial in making America healthy again."
A 2025 report by ASNNA found 40% of SNAP-Ed participants increased fruit intake, 34% increased vegetable consumption, and 23% increased physical activity.
A 2023 Illinois SNAP-Ed report concluded that for every $1 spent, the program would return between $5.36 and $9.54 in future savings.
Open questions
The White House did not provide specifics on how eliminating SNAP-Ed aligned with the MAHA agenda.
Key figures
President Trump
Tashara Leak, professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University
Elines Olivares, nutrition educator with The Food Trust
Sherron Dudley, Philadelphia resident
Anna Kelly, White House spokesperson
Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Pa., chair of the House Agriculture Committee
Gina Crist, community health specialist with the University of Delaware's cooperative extension and leader of ASNNA
Adrienne Markworth, founder and executive director of Leah's Pantry
Sources: NPR
