As Liberal Nonprofits Decry Drop in Nebraska’s Food Stamp Enrollment, GOP Lawmakers See Success Story for Taxpayers

by Ken Shepherd

(Picture credit USA.gov)

One year after passage of federal legislation reforming the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — more colloquially known as “food stamps” — the state of Nebraska has reported a 17% drop in Nebraskans receiving SNAP benefits.

The report has proved an occasion for liberal advocacy groups like Nebraska for Us and Nebraska Appleseed to amplify their message denouncing the development.

“Roadblocks and cuts are happening by design,” a Nebraska for Us official told the Nebraska Examiner, adding that “[s]he noted that all the Nebraska congressional delegation voted for Trump’s tax and spending measure.”

In a recent article, Eric Savaiano, the economic justice program manager for Nebraska Appleseed, lamented that “thousands of Nebraskans are being kicked off SNAP.”

Hannah Vlach, executive director at the Omaha nonprofit Restoring Dignity, told Nebraska Public Media (NPM) that their staff is “stretched thin” and is “marching towards a “boiling point” when it comes to their work to help feed refugees and immigrants. According to NPM, the nonprofit has started a “Feed a Family” program that gives gift cards to families to buy groceries.

So far, only 38 families have joined the program.

Lawmakers Say Changes Are Working

Missed in the coverage was any feedback from either federal or state lawmakers who supported the policy change, such as State Senator Ben Hansen, who in 2024 sponsored legislation to put in place a work requirement for SNAP recipients under the age of 60.

While that bill did not pass, provisions in last year’s federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act included tightened federal work requirements for recipients up to age 64. That work requirement took effect on October 20, 2025, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Reached for comment by The Plains Sentinel, Hansen said the drop in SNAP recipients is a positive development for Nebraskans, with a stronger priority on providing assistance to the truly needy while guarding finite taxpayer resources.

“This is taxpayer money, and just as anything in government, the bureaucracy can take over and handups become handouts,” Hansen said. “And so it’s not surprising that we’re doing our due diligence… A lot of government assistance has been abused, SNAP benefits has been one.”

Hansen added that the increased involvement of “the community, the church, [and] families” was vital to improving the lot of Nebraskans needing food aid.

The Plains Sentinel requested comment on this story from every member of the Nebraska congressional delegation, receiving responses from the offices of Congressman Don Bacon and Senator Pete Ricketts.

“Most of the cuts for SNAP derive from work requirements. The vast majority of citizens think able-bodied adults, mentally and physically, without young children, should work, volunteer, or take classes 20 hours a week,” Bacon told The Plains Sentinel in a statement.

The 2nd Congressional District Republican also characterized Nebraska for Us as a “highly partisan” organization whose “#1 goal was to defeat me two years ago.”

“The [Nebraska] Examiner shouldn’t quote them unless they let their readers know this is a partisan Democrat organization,” Bacon said.

In a statement to The Plains Sentinel, Ricketts also defended the new requirements as reasonable measures that serve to help recipients while wisely using taxpayer resources.

“Able-bodied adults now must contribute to their community by working, volunteering, or studying for 20 hours a week. These requirements are less restrictive than what is currently required for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program,” Ricketts said. “We also made sure illegal immigrants cannot receive benefits paid for by American tax dollars. These efforts protect these programs for those who need them and better steward taxpayer dollars.”

Ken Shepherd is a freelance reporter with The Plains Sentinel. He is a former editor at Fox News Digital and the Washington Times.