What is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal assistance program overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that helps low-income households afford nutritious food. While the federal government sets national standards of eligibility and provides funding for the program, state agencies operate the program through their local offices and recertify recipients’ eligibility for food benefits every six or 12 months. To be eligible for benefits, households’ gross monthly income, or their total taxable income prior to taxes and other deductions, must be at or below 130 percent of the poverty line, while households’ net monthly income, or their income left after taxes and deductions, must be at 100 percent of the poverty line. According to the USDA’s SNAP in Action Dashboard, 41.7 million people received monthly SNAP benefits in 2024.
When Was SNAP Created?
SNAP originated in 1939 with the creation of the Food Stamp Program (FSP), which was designed to reduce hunger while promoting the sale of surplus foods amid the Great Depression. The FSP ended in 1943 and was revived in the early 1960s through executive action and pilot programs under President John F. Kennedy. These efforts led to the passage of the Food Stamp Act of 1964, which placed the program under congressional control and divided responsibilities between the federal government and the states.
Subsequent reforms in the 1970s expanded and standardized eligibility requirements for the program nationwide. In 1985, Employment and Training (E&T) programs were introduced, providing employment support resources and requiring certain SNAP recipients to participate in job search or work-related activities to maintain their eligibility. In 1996, federal welfare reform mandated the use of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) systems, replacing paper benefits with electronic cards that allow recipients to purchase eligible food directly. Currently, all 50 states use EBT systems. In 2008, the program was renamed SNAP to better reflect its focus on nutrition and to modernize its image after transitioning to the EBT system.
Why is SNAP Changing?
On February 1st, 2026, new eligibility and work requirements for SNAP recipients went into effect. These requirements came as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4th, 2025. Endorsed by President Donald Trump, the spending bill was meant to avert a $4 trillion tax hike from “harming workers, small businesses, families, and communities” due to the expiration of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and decrease federal spending. Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, said in a May 2025 statement that the bill would save the government more than $1.6 trillion in mandatory spending.
What Rules Are Changing, and Who Will It Impact?
With the OBBBA now law, SNAP work requirements have been significantly expanded. The maximum age for able-bodied adults without dependents who must work or attend a program has been raised from 55 to 65. Additionally, under the new law, household members with a dependent child 14 years old or older, veterans, people 24 and younger who have aged out of the foster care system, and unhoused people are no longer exempt from work requirements.
The Act also narrows SNAP eligibility for noncitizens. Individuals who have been granted asylum or refugee status in the U.S. are no longer eligible for the program. Under the new law, only lawful permanent residents (LPR), Cuban and Haitian entrants (CHE), and Compacts of Free Association (COFA) citizens remain eligible for SNAP. The gross monthly income and net monthly thresholds have not changed. Overall, OBBBA has cut SNAP spending by 20%, or $187 billion, through 2034 with its new requirements.
Who Supports the SNAP Changes?
Supporters of the changes to SNAP include Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, who believes food assistance programs like SNAP “should be a hand up, not a handout.” Republican leaders have echoed this view, arguing that stricter work requirements encourage self-sufficiency. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) contends that the new provisions will help prevent able-bodied adults from “defrauding the system.” The narrowed eligibility for noncitizens has also received praise from Republican lawmakers, with one group of House Republicans proposing a plan to take it a step further and end SNAP, Medicare, and Medicaid eligibility for all non-citizens residing in the U.S.
Who Opposes the SNAP Changes?
Some nonprofit leaders like Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, have voiced criticism of the SNAP changes, arguing that food pantries and soup kitchens will be strained by the estimated 2.4 million people per month who will lose SNAP benefits once the new requirements go into effect. Other officials worry that the new work requirements present an unjust challenge for older workers, who struggle with physical exertion and might have to delay retirement. From a fiscal standpoint, some state leaders like Oklahoma’s Auditor Cindy Byrd have criticized the new SNAP provisions because of a separate OBBBA provision that will take effect in 2027. Under that provision, states with a payment error rate of 6% or higher—indicating that the state miscalculates eligibility or payment amounts in at least 6% of SNAP cases—must cover the cost of these miscalculated benefits without federal assistance. According to estimates by the Food Research & Action Center, once this rule is triggered, impacted states could face costs ranging from $24.3 million to $953.1 million in addition to a projected 25% increase in administrative expenses.
What Are the Future Implications?
As SNAP recipients face new eligibility and work requirements, other changes—such as the USDA’s recent approval of SNAP Food Restriction Waivers in six states that prevent “non-nutritious” food from being purchased by SNAP recipients—have ushered in a new chapter for the food assistance program. While it is estimated that the new provisions will significantly decrease participation in SNAP, how soon these participation rates dip could prove consequential ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. In the 2024 presidential election, many voters were persuaded to vote for President Trump due to anxieties about their economic status and the cost of food, housing, and healthcare. If voters start to feel the impacts of these SNAP changes by November, family finance could once again be an important consideration at the ballot box.