New Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rules go into effect Feb. 1. The requirements involve changes to work requirements.
Prior to the changes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture posted training and support services on social media in an effort to help those affected. Secretary Brooke Rollins told Fox Business SNAP benefits are not meant to be long term.
“The American dream is not being on [a] food stamp program,” Rollins said. “The American dream is not being on all these programs. That should be a hand up, not a handout… As of yesterday, we have moved 1.75 million people off of SNAP.”
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Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, work requirement age requirements were raised from 54 to 64. There are still some exemptions. However, able-bodied adults without dependents are required to prove work status, including exemptions for American Indians. According to the new law, able-bodied adults must work or volunteer 80 hours a month.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the provisions would reduce participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by about 2.4 million people in an average month from 2025 through 2034.
Of those affected, roughly 800,000 would be able-bodied adults up to age 64 who do not live with dependent children. About 300,000 would be able-bodied adults ages 18 to 64 who live with children ages 14 or older.
Another 1 million would be able-bodied adults ages 18 to 54 — or 18 to 49 beginning in 2031 — who do not live with dependents but who, under the CBO’s January 2025 baseline projections completed before the law’s enactment, would have been granted waivers from work requirements.
The agency estimates that reduced participation among veterans, people experiencing homelessness and young adults who were in foster care at age 18 would be partly offset by increased participation among American Indians. Overall, the CBO projects a net decline of about 300,000 SNAP participants within those groups.
