3.3 million dropped from SNAP as OBBBA work requirements take effect

SNAP enrollment fell by approximately 3.3 million people following expanded work requirements under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which extended mandatory work, volunteering, or training minimums of 80 hours per month to able-bodied adults up to age 64 without young dependents — up from the previous cutoff of 49. The broader OBBBA changes also froze the USDA Thrifty Food Plan used to calculate benefit amounts and required states to share administrative costs for the first time. Total SNAP enrollment declined by approximately 4.3 million between January 2025 and January 2026.