Vitaly Saenko13:43, 10.11.25

The Trump administration has decided to suspend or reduce the $210 per person food assistance payment under the SNAP program.

Approximately 300,000 Ukrainian refugees who have temporary protected status in the United States have found themselves in a serious food crisis due to the loss of SNAP assistance due to the Trump administration’s policy of cutting social programs under the so-called “Big Beautiful Act.”

This was announced by Yuriy Boechko, CEO of the non-profit organization Hope For Ukraine, during a conversation with podcaster Adam Klasfeld on YouTube .

Boyechko spoke about the threat of suspension of payments to Ukrainian refugees in the United States under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“It was a shockwave that swept through our entire office and the entire Ukrainian refugee community here. Because, essentially, at the end of October, they began receiving these letters informing them that, due to their immigration status, their SNAP benefits would be terminated or significantly reduced,” Boyechko emphasized.

He added that most Ukrainian refugees didn’t fully understand what was being discussed. In November, meetings began with leaders of Ukrainian refugee communities across the United States, as there are approximately 300,000 Ukrainian refugees in the United States who came to America fleeing full-scale war. Most of them arrived under Temporary Protected Status, which allows for legal stay in the United States for two years. All of them are currently legally residing in the United States.

“We’ve begun paying attention to this and communicating with families. Therefore, in essence, based on these new changes, which are a result of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ (tax and spending cuts demanded by US President Donald Trump, including cuts to social safety net programs – UNIAN), I call it the most severe cut of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ effectively targeting the most vulnerable population in the United States. In this bill, we’re talking about Ukrainian refugees, war refugees, but this affects more than just Ukrainian war refugees. It affects everyone with temporary protected status,” Boyechko noted.

He notes that since November 1, thousands of people, not just Ukrainians, have lost access to SNAP humanitarian assistance. The average SNAP benefit for an individual is $210.

Boyechko claims this reduction in aid won’t have a major impact on the budget. But this aid was extremely important for families with four to six children. One such family loses about a thousand dollars. They could use this money to buy food.

“And now we see before our eyes that a serious food crisis is about to emerge in the United States. And this is not due to extreme natural disasters, not due to food shortages, but solely due to the policies embodied in part in the ‘Big Beautiful Law,'” Boyechko emphasized.

He added that he is now trying to draw public attention to this situation because the consequences of such changes are dire.

He said that with no word on whether their temporary protected status will be extended and the loss of SNAP benefits, Ukrainian refugees are faced with a choice: pay rent but not eat, or eat and be evicted.

He believes this is a major crisis. SNAP assistance has been provided in the United States for decades. Previously, everyone arriving in the United States was eligible to apply for assistance under this program.

(C)UNIAN 2025