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By Aliss Higham
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Millions of Americans who rely on food assistance will see major changes to their SNAP benefits starting in December, as new federal rules tighten work requirements and narrow who is exempt from these requirements.
Why It Matters
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) has instructed states to carry out updates tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which reshapes long-standing requirements for adults receiving food assistance.
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SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) currently supports about 42 million low- and no-income people nationwide.
What To Know
The changes, which come from the federal government and apply to all states and territories, are to the Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) rule. Under existing law, adults who do not have disabilities or dependents must work, participate in training, or look for work for 80 hours a month to keep their benefits.
Beginning in December, that expectation will apply to more people.
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Most adults between the ages of 18 and 64 who do not live with a child under 14 will now have to complete at least 80 hours of qualifying activity each month. Those hours can come from paid or unpaid work, volunteering, community service, participation in SNAP Employment & Training programs, or a combination of these. The law also removes other exemptions for homeless individuals, veterans and young adults who aged out of foster care at age 24 or younger.
Several groups will still be exempt. People younger than 18 or older than 64, anyone living with a child under 14, people who are pregnant, and those certified as unable to work because of physical or mental limitations are among those who do not have to meet the 80-hour rule. Some Native Americans, caregivers for an incapacitated person, and people regularly attending drug or alcohol treatment programs may also qualify for exemptions, along with other specific cases noted in the guidance.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has defended the changes. Earlier this year, she said the OBBBA "strengthens work requirements" and "tackles the fraud and waste that has run rampant" in the program.
What People Are Saying
Cindy Long, former deputy undersecretary for Food Nutrition and Consumer Services at the USDA and national adviser at professional services firm Manatt, told Newsweek: "There will be significant impacts for many who are working or seeking work but cannot find it. First, many who are actually working will be at significant risk of being cut off SNAP. Many SNAP participants work in unstable, low-paid jobs that have unpredictable hours and no benefits such as paid sick leave. The volatility of these jobs means that workers are more frequently underemployed and may struggle to consistently document 20 hours per week of work, increasing the risk that they are cut off SNAP by the three-month time limit."
House Speaker Mike Johnson said in May, prior to the passage of the OBBBA: "If you are able to work and you refuse to do so, you are defrauding the system. You’re cheating the system. And no one in the country believes that that’s right. So there’s a moral component to what we’re doing. And when you make young men work, it’s good for them, it’s good for their dignity, it’s good for their self-worth, and it’s good for the community that they live in."
What Happens Next
The USDA also plans to require all SNAP recipients to reapply for benefits, even though regular recertification is already part of how the program operates.
A department spokesperson told Newsweek: "Secretary Rollins wants to ensure the fraud, waste, and incessant abuse of SNAP ends. Rates of fraud were only previously assumed, and President Trump is doing something about it. Using standard recertification processes for households is a part of that work."
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