Millions of Americans ‘struggling to afford food’ as Trump tariffs, cuts sink in

Rising tariffs in the US are adding to the financial strain of millions of Americans, with food prices soaring and government support failing to keep up. Over 42 million people — more than 12% of the population — rely on SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, often receiving just $6 a day to buy essentials.Gina Plata-Nino, Director of SNAP, warned, “We have a high rate of food insecurity nationally, particularly in rural and remote areas. But regardless of food insecurity, we are seeing that plenty of people say their number one concern is food prices, which have risen significantly since January of this year.”

Food pantries, once reserved for emergencies, are now becoming part of daily life for many struggling Americans. Plata-Nino added, “There is a portion of the population that is struggling to afford food.”

How One Big Beautiful Act is leaving Americans hungryThe strain is compounded by recent cuts under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA), which reduced SNAP funding by $1.86 billion. Plata-Nino said, “Basically, what it does is put the burden on states to pay for the programme, taking millions of dollars from states that would otherwise be used to meet the needs of individuals, children, veterans, and people with disabilities who rely on this programme to be fed.”

Tracking tariffs is now part of SNAP’s monitoring because they push food costs higher. Plata-Nino explained, “As everything else goes up — wages are not going up, rents are going up, food is going up — they have less and have to pay more.”

The combination of rising prices, tariff impacts, and reduced government support is leaving millions of Americans struggling to put food on the table.

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