CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — President Trump's “One Big Beautiful Bill” includes proposed SNAP changes, prompting concerns in the Coastal Bend about how potential budget cuts could affect access to food assistance.
Rebecca Harton has been on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more commonly known as SNAP, for the past two years and gets about $219 a month from it.
"All the money I get with my disability check goes to bills, and there's nothing left over for food, so I do rely on SNAP benefits to help provide food," Harton said.
Harton has a rare diabetes disorder called diabetes insipidus. Recently, she has been getting assistance from the Coastal Bend Food Bank (CBFB) through their diabetes program which has allowed her to receive foods she would rarely afford before. She tells KRIS 6 News she is nervous about what could happen with the proposed budget reconciliation bill.
"A lot more choices will need to be made about, you know, putting money either towards the bills or food, and you got to eat, so bills are probably not gonna get paid like they are," Harton said.
Any impact to SNAP recipients could mean more people needing help from the CBFB.
"During this time we need to be prepared. The food bank will have to be ready to support these people and make sure that nobody goes hungry," Bea Hanson, Executive Director of the Coastal Bend Food Bank said.
The food bank feeds 11 counties and has over 200 pantries that help distribute food all over the Coastal Bend.
"Our pantries will also be an increase in demand because the people that live around in their communities are going to have a need for food if they lose their benefits," Hanson said.
According to the Texas Health and Human Services, in May of 2025, Nueces County had 28,967 cases. In comparison, the state had 1,617,981. Nueces County recipients saw an average payment from SNAP of $357 for that month.
Edelia Medina gets $160 per month in SNAP benefits, but still needs to attend food distributions at the food bank.
"Because of the price of the eggs and the milk, and which are the ones that what we buy nowadays, and the vegetables, and things that we need to survive, it doesn't go too far," Medina said.
According to the non-profit organization, Feeding Texas, the bill could slash an estimated $186 billion from SNAP and alter the program by shifting the cost to the state. This can make Texas bear costs it didn't have to before.
"I think it's really sad that we have the most vulnerable of our society at risk, and we need a voice and we need people to stand up for us," Harton said.
The Coastal Bend Food Bank advises the community not to panic, but to be prepared. If you need assistance, you can reach out to them.
