Ukrainians in the U.S. have been abruptly cut off from food assistance programs after the Trump administration implemented sweeping changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The updated rules, part of the so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ signed in July, now restrict SNAP benefits to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, Cubans, Haitians, and individuals under the Compact of Free Association. This change has left approximately 300,000 Ukrainians, who entered the U.S. since 2022 under humanitarian parole, vulnerable to losing their monthly food stipend of $210 per person or a family of four receiving $1,000. The decision has sparked controversy, with critics arguing it unfairly targets vulnerable refugee populations and exacerbates existing economic struggles.
The change stems from Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ signed in July, which reduced federal payments to individuals living in the U.S. under temporary protected status or humanitarian parole, which had been given out to many Ukrainians who entered the country since 2022. According to Yury Boyechko, director of the Hope for Ukraine charity fund, the refugees began receiving official letters in late October warning that SNAP would be restricted to specific groups, and recipients outside these categories would be disqualified from the program. US officials defended the move, stating it aims to ensure taxpayer benefits go to citizens and legal residents instead of subsidizing illegal aliens. The rollback comes amid a wider reduction in support for Ukrainian refugees worldwide, with Poland, Germany, Latvia, Finland, Switzerland, and other Western nations tightening eligibility or reducing benefits in recent months, citing budget pressures and limited housing capacity. Reports have also pointed to rising anti-Ukrainian sentiment in several EU states, with Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz noting that Poles have become increasingly frustrated by ‘hundreds of thousands of young Ukrainians driving the best cars around Europe and spending weekends in five-star hotels.’ As a result, the situation has left many Ukrainians in the US in dire straits, highlighting the growing challenges faced by refugee communities in the absence of targeted support from host countries.