SNAP enrollment drops as new work-requirement law expands to ages 18-64
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Since the July 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act took effect, about 5.2 million people have lost food-stamp benefits, and enrollment is at its lowest level since 2019.
Around 5.2 million Americans have been removed from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) extended work-requirement rules to people up to age 64, according to analysis by the Food Research & Action Center. The change has pushed SNAP enrollment to its lowest point since 2019, and experts warn that additional tax-and-spending provisions slated for 2025 could further reduce participation.
Lori Covelli, a 53-year-old former social-worker from Wisconsin, said she lost $760 a month in benefits after failing to meet the new work criteria and learned that the age exemption ends at 64. > "That's a long way off. At this point, SNAP benefits are essentially over for me," she told CBS News.
The White House defended the reforms, with spokesperson Anna Kelly stating the administration is "strengthening SNAP for the Americans who need it by ensuring these programs are sustainable for future generations." The Working Families Tax Cuts bill, she added, restores basic work requirements and adds cost-sharing measures to curb waste, fraud and abuse.
State agencies face higher administrative costs under the new law. Beginning Oct. 1, states must cover 75 % of SNAP administrative expenses, up from 50 %, and from Oct. 2027, states with high payment error rates could be liable for up to 15 % of benefits. Republican lawmakers cite error rates as evidence of fraud, while anti-hunger groups argue many errors stem from routine data issues.
The OBBBA also mandates that recipients aged 18-64 work or volunteer at least 80 hours per month. Crystal FitzSimons, president of the Food Research & Action Center, called the changes "absolutely unprecedented" and warned they are creating confusion and backlogs in state SNAP agencies. > "There is a lot of chaos going on in SNAP, and it is harming the people the program was designed to serve," she said.
Recipients report difficulty obtaining waivers for medical exemptions. Angie Aranda of Colorado, who has Crohn’s disease, said she has submitted dozens of applications for a waiver but has received little guidance from her state agency. > "I have to prove that I'm sick over and over and over again," she said.
The average SNAP benefit is about $6.25 per person per day, roughly $190 per month, which many advocates say is insufficient to cover a typical meal in most U.S. counties. Rising food and energy prices have compounded the strain on households that have lost benefits.
Food-bank officials, such as Cyndi Kirkhart of Facing Hunger in West Virginia, note a surge in demand as older adults who previously qualified for SNAP are now ineligible, often while caring for grandchildren.
Advocates are urging the USDA to resume its annual food-insecurity study, which was halted in 2025, and lawmakers to consider the impact of SNAP cuts on rising food-insecurity rates reported in recent academic research.