A growing backlog in Texas’ food assistance system is leaving more families in limbo as soaring grocery costs continue to strain household budgets.
In August, pending new SNAP applications in the state climbed past 150,000 — an alarming sign that access to basic support is falling behind rapidly rising need, KXAS-TV reported.
Here’s what to know
State figures obtained by Texans Care for Children indicated that more than 150,000 Texas applications for new SNAP benefits remained pending in August.
For low-income households, SNAP provides critical federal help with food costs.
When processing slows, available assistance can take longer to reach families.
Diana Forester, director of health policy at Texans Care for Children, said the August total was striking.
“This is alarming,” she admitted.
More background
Feeding America estimates that food insecurity has risen in North Texas since 2021, meaning far more people in the region are struggling to afford nutritious food.
The situation has worsened after historically large cuts to SNAP were signed into law in July 2025, sharply reducing assistance for those who already relied on it.
After SNAP funding fell dramatically, the queue of unresolved cases also kept growing.
Increased need for food assistance, coupled with dwindling federal funds, is forcing families to make harder choices to get by.
A pending application may mean a parent delays a grocery trip, relies more heavily on food pantries, cuts back on healthier foods that tend to cost more, or forgoes some meals entirely.
What can be done?
Reducing the backlog will likely require faster processing and a stronger focus on ensuring eligible families do not lose benefits because of delays.
Advocacy groups are frantically trying to draw attention to the problem.
Texans Care for Children’s release of the state data could add pressure for a closer look at how Texas is handling new applications and whether sufficient resources are in place to meet them.
Local food banks and community assistance groups are often stretched to a breaking point as they attempt to fill a federal funding gap while applications languish unprocessed.
Although those resources cannot replace steady monthly benefits, they can help families manage short-term shortages.
“It is very strange to me — I can’t believe [the backlog is] as big as it is,” Forester conceded.
Where can I learn more?
These stories touch on the underlying issue behind Texas’ SNAP backlog: how quickly families can lose dependable access to nutritious food when aid systems falter, or supplies are strained.
They also show how food insecurity is getting worse in very different places, for very different reasons.
• In Nunavut, communities are scrambling for food as climate pressures wreak havoc on food supplies.
• In Somalia, drought could leave over 4 million people facing crisis-level food insecurity.
• In Nigeria, food insecurity is surging as experts and business leaders warn of deeper strain.
Delayed benefits are just one way food insecurity can take hold. Seeing that pressure play out in different settings helps show why timely food support matters so much for Texas families.
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