"At the same time as the government shutdown
disrupted the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, states began implementing an expansion of the program’s work requirements as mandated in the
Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill,” which was signed into law by President Donald Trump this summer.
Under the GOP package, more food stamp enrollees will have to work, volunteer or participate in job training for at least 80 hours a month or they will only be able to receive benefits for three months out of every three years.
The expanded work requirements will result in 2.4 million fewer Americans receiving food stamps benefits in an average month over the next decade, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis. This includes 300,000 families with children.
Recipients who don’t meet the requirement will likely start losing their benefits in March, but the timing will depend on where they live and when they must recertify their eligibility for food stamps.
Republicans have long wanted to beef up SNAP’s existing work requirement, which used to apply to beneficiaries ages 18 to 49 who did not have disabilities or dependent children. The GOP increased the age threshold to 54 as part of the 2023 debt ceiling agreement.
The GOP spending bill further broadened the work requirement to include recipients through age 64 and parents of children ages 14 through 17. Veterans, people experiencing homelessness and former foster youth are now also subject to the mandate.