The SNAP program is working again after the chaos of the government shutdown… but it comes with more changes than ever. They want to impose new work requirements, immediate cuts for many families and the removal from the program of thousands of beneficiaries including, among them, immigrants with legal residency… A program that supports more than 41 million families in the country…
The states are still catching up with overdue payments, but the USDA already has other plans for the program, and for now, they want to change the eligibility for the payment, the famous One Big Beautiful Bill, which goes into effect almost right now, so we are going to tell you what changes this new law brings, because it is going to be quite chaotic for unemployed adults, refugees, people in the asylum process and a huge group of migrants.
Cuts are coming
After weeks of uncertainty due to the federal shutdown, the states released the program benefits again, but this return has coincided with the obligation to apply all the new rules.
And that means that millions of people are going to see their economic situation shaken.
Work requirements
The so called “able bodied adults without dependents” practically lose all exemptions, if you are under 65, the program wants to see you working, actively looking for work or at least in training, and nothing more.
What does SNAP require from now on?
- Showing at least 80 hours per month of work, study or vocational training.
- Anyone who does not comply will only receive SNAP for three months every three years.
Exemptions that disappear
Until now, certain groups were protected:
- veterans
- people experiencing homelessness
- youth who left the foster care system
That disappears now, they are now required to comply exactly the same as any able bodied adult, the only exception left is that of people with documented disabilities, this group of people will not have to show anything to continue receiving their SNAP payments.
And families with children?
- If you have children under 14, you probably will not need requirements, but if your children are between 14 and 18 years old, you are going to have to show work activity.
- But if your children are between 14 and 18, it is very likely that you will have to show your work activity.
This will hit single parent families hard, who were already carrying the impossible to raise their children.
Migrants and refugees
This change is the one generating the most noise, and not without reason. The new project redefines eligibility according to immigration status (because as you know, not having regulated documentation apparently means you automatically stop being hungry).
Who CAN receive SNAP
- United States citizens
- United States nationals
- COFA citizens
- Some very specific cases
Permanent residents (Green Card)
Legal residents will have to wait five years before accessing SNAP, except for exceptions such as being under 18 or being people tied to military service.
Who is excluded from now on
- refugees
- people with granted asylum
- victims of trafficking
Even if they met absolutely everything else, this had not been seen in decades and honestly, the lack of humanity this government is showing deserves to be studied.
When do the restrictions begin?
They have already started, specifically on November 1. They are already reprogramming the systems, reviewing the files of the beneficiaries and sending notifications to those who are left out.
And of course, that means delays, temporary suspensions, errors… the usual when you change the entire structure of a giant program.
SNAP is a program that ensures (or ensured) that everyone could access basic food. After the uncertainty for many families with the federal shutdown, many are going to see how now the payments resume but do not reach them. Ten point two percent of the U.S. population survives at the poverty line, but this government seems to only care about the numbers.
Will they leave behind those who truly depend on this system, or will humanity light up for them and they cancel the changes?