The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the food assistance program for low-income families that may undergo drastic changes this year. Driven by two essential developments: the expanded federal work requirement and the proposed cut in Congress, the anti-hunger program could see monumental changes in 2025.
Enforcing stricter rules for SNAP beneficiaries
Changes to SNAP and changes to requirements to be eligible for SNAP could mean that this form of assistance is cut off for many citizens, or it may even mean that many families are completely pushed out of the program. It is vital to look at whether millions of citizens could be saying goodbye to their SNAP benefits entirely.
A key reason why many citizens who benefit from SNAP currently will no longer do so is due to the expansion of work requirements that comes into effect as of June 2025. The guidelines that were approved back in 2023 are now more strictly being enforced throughout America.
Prior to the change in work requirements, all able-bodied adults without dependents who were between 18 to 49 years of age were expected to meet work-related conditions to earn SNAP benefits. The age at which citizens must meet work requirements has increased to 54, and these rules are also applicable to parents with children of school-going age.
To continue to remain eligible for the SNAP benefits, citizens must ensure that:
- Enroll in any approved employment or support programs.
- Work or engage in job training for at least 20 hours weekly.
- Report their compliance often to their local SNAP office.
Should SNAP beneficiaries be unable to meet the above-mentioned work requirements, they may experience a three-month limit on benefits within 36 months, thus reducing the support considerably for many who are unable to meet these requirements.
According to the work requirements stipulated, those exempt from fulfilling these requirements are pregnant individuals, citizens with certified disabilities, veterans, homeless individuals, and citizens 55 years or older.
Further threat from budget cuts proposed
While more stringent rules in terms of work requirements are important, the next big threat to SNAP is brought to the fore by the Republican Reconciliation Bill, which suggests that by 2034, about $300 billion should be cut from this program.
Aside from this proposal advocating for an impactful cut to food assistance throughout the United States, the enactment of the bill could lead to:
- SNAP benefits are being reduced by 30% for all.
- Beneficiary numbers are being reduced for this program.
- States are opting to be excluded entirely from SNAP.
Many SNAP recipients will be affected should such budget cuts that have been proposed become reality. Thus far, SNAP recipients had good news with the SNAP food stamps boost in April, but could this good news turn into bad news soon?
The future for SNAP beneficiaries
Citizens who do tend to depend on these SNAP benefits must ensure that they follow some of these suggestions to reap the benefits from SNAP:
- Citizens should check their eligibility and opt for exemption should they be unable to meet the new requirements.
- Citizens should recertify on time to keep all information about income and household current.
- State-level changes may vary, and this means some states will be harsher with rules while others will protect beneficiaries at all costs.
Citizens should also ensure that they use expert advice to get the most out of SNAP. If citizens have to say goodbye to SNAP, it could leave millions of citizens without food or access to proper nutrition, and in turn have devastating consequences. To get more information about SNAP changes, you can check the official website of the USDA Food and Nutrition Services.
