More than two million Americans will lose access to food stamps following the introduction of new work requirements under legislation championed by President Donald Trump. The changes, which also impact health coverage, mark one of the most significant overhauls of the US social safety net in decades.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has warned that the law will lead to 2.4 million fewer people receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in an average month. The cuts arrive at a time of persistently high grocery prices and mounting pressure on food banks across the country.
Expanded Work Requirements Target Parents, Older Adults, and Other Groups
Under the new legislation, parents of dependent children must work, volunteer, or participate in job training for at least 80 hours per month to qualify for benefits. According to the CBO, this is the first time parents of children aged 14 and older have faced such a mandate. The law also extends work requirements to adults aged 55 to 64, veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness, and former foster care youth, though Native Americans are exempt.
The CBO estimates that 300,000 adults living with children aged 14 and above will lose access to food stamps each month. Other provisions make it harder for states to secure waivers during economic downturns, potentially compounding the loss of support.
The law further requires states with payment error rates above 6% to shoulder between 5% and 15% of SNAP costs starting in 2028. The CBO projects this will reduce or eliminate benefits for about 300,000 people monthly and decrease subsidies for roughly 96,000 children in nutrition programs.
Disproportionate Impact on Low-Income Households
While the legislation delivers tax cuts alongside benefit reductions, the CBO reports that the financial impact will be uneven. Households earning less than $24,000 annually are expected to see their incomes fall by an average of $1,200 per year between 2026 and 2034, largely due to cuts in SNAP and Medicaid. By contrast, middle-income households will gain around $800 annually, and the wealthiest – with incomes near $700,000 – will see an average increase of $13,600.
The law’s Medicaid provisions are also projected to raise the number of uninsured Americans. According to the CBO, 7.5 million people will lose Medicaid coverage, with a further 2.1 million losing Affordable Care Act coverage, resulting in a net increase of 10 million uninsured by 2034.
Advocates have voiced concerns about the impact on working families struggling with irregular employment schedules. Gina Plata-Nino, interim SNAP director at the Food Research & Action Center, said many recipients are already employed but risk losing benefits due to administrative hurdles. “They will be hungrier, they will be sicker without that help,” she noted.
