What's Going On With SNAP: Everything You Need To Know

Millions of Americans are at risk of permanently losing SNAP benefits just days after the federal government reopened and restored assistance.

According to ABC News, SNAP, which helps nearly 42 million low-income Americans afford food, is being reshaped under new USDA guidance tied to President Donald Trump’s "Big Beautiful Bill," signed into law earlier this year.

The measure expanded work requirements, raising the upper age limit for able-bodied adults without dependents from 54 to 64. Exemptions have been narrowed for caregivers, limiting benefits to those responsible for children under 14, and eliminated for homeless individuals, veterans, and former foster youth. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that these changes will remove about 1.1 million people from SNAP between 2025 and 2034.

“I think millions of people are going to lose food… There’s no question this is going to create more harm and suffering and hunger,” Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, said in a statement.

Trump's megabill also ends SNAP eligibility for refugees, asylum seekers, trafficking victims, and Iraqi or Afghan special immigrant visa holders, reversing decades of federal precedent. Roughly 90,000 people in these groups will lose benefits.

Naomi Steinberg of HIAS called the policy “mean-spirited and counterproductive,” saying it denies nutritional support to families “just getting their feet on the ground."

Another major shift requires states to begin sharing SNAP costs.

Starting in 2028, states with payment error rates above 6 percent must cover 5 percent to 15 percent of program expenses. Analysts estimate that roughly $128 billion in costs will be pushed onto states. As a result, the CBO predicts some states will cut benefits, restrict eligibility, or drop out of SNAP entirely, affecting about 300,000 people.

“They’re increasing administrative costs on states,” Berg said. “That’s going to cause states to either raise taxes, cut something else, or cut food.”

On Monday (November 17), Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the administration will require all SNAP participants to reapply for benefits to confirm ongoing eligibility amid the administration's concerns about oversight.

“Business as usual is over. The status quo is no more,” Rollins said.

According to Rollins, preliminary findings show that 186,000 deceased individuals are still receiving SNAP, 500,000 people are enrolled in more than one state, more than 226,000 fraudulent claims have been approved, and over 691,000 fraudulent transactions linked to card skimming and cloning have been deducted.

Rollins said the administration has already removed about 700,000 people from SNAP and made roughly 118 arrests.

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