People across the United States may see their benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cut or become ineligible as new rules take effect in November. The changes are dictated by the Republican-supported One Big Beautiful Bill passed earlier this year, and they risk cutting or eliminating food assistance to vulnerable people across the country.
SNAP changes go into effect on Nov. 1, changing work requirements and eligibility rules
As required by the One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law by President Donald Trump in July, there will be several changes and restrictions for SNAP. One of the biggest sets of changes concerns able-bodied adults without dependents, who are required to meet an 80-hour-per-month work requirement to maintain benefits for longer than three months. These adults must fulfill the work requirement through paid employment, education or vocational training. Beginning Nov. 1, the age range for ABAWDs will be expanded from 18-54 to 18-65.
Formerly, states could grant numerous exceptions to these requirements, but those are being scaled back under the new rules. Whereas parents with dependents under 18 were previously exempt, the parental exemption now applies only to parents with dependents under 14. Military veterans, young adults exiting the foster care system, and unhoused individuals are no longer exempt from the work requirements. Exemptions also apply to people living in areas with a 10% or higher unemployment rate. The new work requirement rules create a new exemption for Indigenous or Native Americans and have slightly different requirements for residents of Alaska and Hawaii. Some legally present noncitizens in the U.S. who previously qualified for SNAP will lose access to benefits; these include asylum seekers, refugees and survivors of human trafficking.
SNAP funding cuts from the One Big Beautiful Bill and the government shutdown
Beyond changes to eligibility, provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill are set to cut SNAP funding in various ways. All states will now be required to pay 75% of their SNAP administrative costs, up from 50%. Furthermore, states with high error rates in their allocation of SNAP benefits will have to pay 5% or more of the cost of SNAP benefits, which were previously covered entirely by federal funding; only seven states, mostly with small populations, fall below the 6% error rate threshold to qualify for 100% federal SNAP funding under the new regulations. The new rules change how cost-of-living increases are calculated and how utility payments are weighed in determining the amount of assistance families can receive. The law also cuts funding for a program that promotes access to healthy food to fight obesity. Overall, the changes to SNAP are expected to cut about $186 billion over the next 10 years.
These changes are set to take effect even as the operation of SNAP as a whole is being threatened by the ongoing government shutdown, now in its third week. According to a notice sent to states by acting SNAP head Ronald Ward, the program “has funding available for benefits and operations through the month of October.” Ward warned in his letter that “if the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the Nation.”
“Considering the operational issues and constraints that exist in automated systems, and in the interest of preserving maximum flexibility, we are forced to direct States to hold their November issuance files and delay transmission to State EBT vendors until further notice,” the letter mentioned.
The House of Representatives remains adjourned, and the Senate remains deadlocked on proposals to end the shutdown, casting doubt on whether a deal to reopen the federal government will be reached soon. Should the shutdown last, millions of Americans may see their SNAP benefits run out, and even after the government reopens, people across the nation may find themselves receiving less assistance or excluded altogether.