The New Work Rules for SNAP Are Doing Their Job
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August 14, 2026Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enrollment is down. Why, you ask? Well, it involves a four-letter word: WORK.
New data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that as of April 2026, there are 5.3 million fewer people receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits compared to September 2025, the end of the federal government’s fiscal year 25. The decline in SNAP enrollments comes after new work requirements were implemented on Feb. 1.
I don’t think anyone is shocked by this news. We’ve all known that SNAP has been being abused in our country for years, and that many of those receiving benefits who COULD work, weren’t.
The backstory:
The work requirements are part of the Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (OBBB) which was signed into law on July 4, 2025, adding more requirements for many adult SNAP recipients to work, volunteer or participate in job training for at least 80 hours a month. If they don’t, they’re limited to three months of benefits in a three-year period.
Previously, work requirements were applied to adults ages 18–54 who are physically and mentally able to work and don’t have dependents under age 18. The new law expands those requirements to those ages 55–64 and to parents without children younger than 14.
It also takes away work exemptions for homeless people, veterans and young adults aging out of foster care. And it limits the ability of states to waive work requirements in areas lacking jobs.
It isn’t heartless to expect able-bodied people to work to receive food. In fact, that is what the rest of society does every single day, and no one bats an eye. SNAP should never be a permanent solution for funding someone’s grocery bills. Even with these new rules, expecting someone to work or volunteer a mere 80 hours a month is more than feasible.
Taxpayers shouldn’t be expected to be the ATMs of the country. I hope adjustments like this to SNAP help shift our society’s mindset about who these benefits are for and how they should be used.
