The decline in people participating in the program is due to new work and eligibility requirements, according to food security advocates.
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"Refugees and asylees were cut from the program, and additional populations like adults with other children and seniors ages 60 to 64 were subject for the first time to work requirements and time limits on how long they can stay on SNAP if they don't meet those requirements," CEO of Feeding Texas, Celia Cole, said.
ABC13 spoke with a Houstonian who said when she applied for SNAP, she was denied.
"I applied for SNAP within the past year, and I did get denied the first time, and I applied again," Destiny Thomas said.
Data from the state of Texas shows that around 500,000 fewer people participated in the program than this time last year.
Food security advocates said that it is hard for food banks to fill the gap.
"SNAP is close to 10 times the size of what food banks can do, so it is not a gap we are prepared to make up for," Cole said.
Around 3 million people are eligible for SNAP, according to data from the state of Texas.
The decline in SNAP in Texas is reflective of the decline nationally.
In April, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture stated that over 4 million people were dropped from the food assistance program.
Local food security advocates tell ABC13 they welcome the opportunity to work with state and federal leaders to make changes to improve the SNAP program.
"There's always opportunities to improve programs like SNAP, and we welcome the opportunity to make it work better for participants and states alike," Cole said.