Georgetown CCF: Child SNAP Losses Outpace Medicaid/CHIP Enrollment Drops
Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families reports that child enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP fell by 2.56 million nationally from January 2025 through August 2026, based on state administrative data and CMS reporting. Drawing on Center on Budget and Policy Priorities tracking across 26 states, CCF finds child SNAP enrollment fell 15.7% (about 1.6 million children) from January 2025 to May 2026, compared to a 6.3% drop in Medicaid/CHIP enrollment in those same states, with the gap widening after H.R. 1's enactment in July 2025. CCF attributes the SNAP decline largely to H.R. 1 provisions already in effect, including tightened work reporting requirements and cuts to federal administrative funding, while noting Medicaid/CHIP's 12-month continuous eligibility requirement may be slowing similar losses there. CCF states children make up about 42% of those losing SNAP since July 2025 in tracked states.