Alejandro Santillan-Garcia is worried he will lose the assistance that helps him buy food. The 20-year-old Austin resident qualified for federal food assistance last year because he aged out of the Texas foster care system, which he entered as an infant.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called food stamps or SNAP, helps feed 42 million low-income people in the United States. Now, because of changes made to the One Big Beautiful Bill to keep his food benefits, Santillan-Garcia may soon have to prove to officials that it works.
He said he lost his last job because he took time off work and went to the doctor for recurring stomach infections. He doesn't have a car and said he applied to a grocery store, Walmart, Dollar General, “any place you can think of” that he could walk or bike to.
“No job hired me.”
Under the new federal budget law, more people must prove they work, volunteer or go to school to qualify for SNAP benefits. Those who do not submit documents on time risk losing food assistance for up to three years. States were originally directed to begin counting strikes against participants on Nov. 1, the same day millions of people saw their SNAP benefits dry up due to the Trump administration's refusal to fund the program during the government shutdown. But federal officials backed down mid-month, instead giving states until December to enforce the new rules.
The new law further limits the ability of states and counties with high unemployment rates to grant waivers to recipients. But the legal battle over the provision means the deadline for people to comply with the new rules varies depending on where recipients live and, in some cases, even within states.
The USDA did not respond to a detailed list of questions about how the new rules regarding SNAP would be implemented, and the White House did not respond to a request for comment on whether the rules could discourage people who rely on the program. The law did expand exceptions for many Native Americans.
However, states must comply with the new rules or face fines that could force them to pay most of the cost of the program, which totaled about $100 billion last year.
President Donald Trump signed a massive budget bill along with new SNAP rules on July 4th. States initially projected they would need at least 12 months to implement such significant changes, said Chloe Green, associate director of the American Association of State Social Services, which advises states on federal programs.
According to the law, “able-bodied” people subject to work may lose access to benefits for three years if they do not document their working hours within three months.
Depending on when states begin enforcing the rules, many people could begin to be excluded from the SNAP program early next year, said Lauren Bauer, an economic research fellow at the Brookings Institution, a policy think tank. These changes are expected to disenroll at least 2.4 million people from SNAP over the next decade. to the Congressional Budget Office.
“It’s very hard to work if you’re hungry,” Bauer said.
Many adult SNAP recipients under age 55 already had to meet work requirements before the One Big Beautiful Bill became law. Now, for the first time, adults ages 55 to 64 and parents with children over 14 must document 80 hours of work or other qualifying activity per month. The new law also eliminates benefits for veterans, the homeless and former youth in foster care like Santillan-Garcia that have been in place since 2023.
Republican politicians said the new rules are part of a broader effort to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in government assistance programs.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in November that in addition to the law, she would need millions of dollars to reapply for anti-fraud benefits, although she did not provide more details. Rollins told Newsmax that she wants to ensure that only those who are “vulnerable” and “cannot survive without it” receive SNAP benefits.
States are required to notify people that their SNAP benefits may be changed before they are cut off, Green said. Some states have announced the changes on websites or in letters to recipients, but many do not give participants much time to comply.
Hunger advocates fear the changes and the confusion surrounding them will lead to more people in the United States experiencing hunger. Food pantries have reported a record number of people seeking help this year.
Even while following work rules, people often report problems uploading documents and processing benefits in overwhelmed government systems. About one in eight adults reported losing food benefits due to paperwork problems, according to a survey of SNAP participants. Urban Institute. Some participants were excluded from assistance due to government failures and staff shortages.
Pat Scott, a community health worker at the Beaverhead Resource Center in rural Dillon, Montana, is the only person within an hour's drive helping people access government assistance, including seniors without reliable transportation. But the center is only open one day a week, and Scott says she's seen people lose insurance because of problems with the state's online portal.
John Ebelt, a spokesman for the Montana Department of Health Services, said the state is constantly working to improve its programs. He added that while some rules have changed, a system for reporting work requirements is already in place.
In Missoula, Montana, Jill Bonney, head of the Poverello Center, said it's already difficult for homeless shelter clients to apply for help because they often lose documents amid the daily need to carry everything they own. She said she's also concerned that federal changes could lead to more seniors becoming homeless if they lose SNAP benefits and are forced to choose between paying rent or buying food.
In the USA, people 50 years and older They are the fastest-growing group of homeless people, according to federal data.
Sharon Cornu is the executive director of St. Mary's Center, which helps support homeless seniors in Oakland, California. According to her, changes in the rules sow distrust. “This is not normal. We are not playing by the normal rules,” Cornu said, referring to the federal changes. “This is punitive and vile punishment.”
In early November, a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to pay the full amount of SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, which ended on November 12. The same judge sought to amortize some of the incoming work demands. He directed the government to respect existing agreements that waive work requirements in some states and counties until each agreement is terminated. Total 28 states and the District of Columbia had such exceptions with varying end dates.
Adding to the confusion, some states, including New Mexico, have exemptions that mean people in different counties will be subject to the rules at different times.
If states don't accurately document the work status of SNAP participants, they will be forced to pay later, Green said. Under the new law, states must cover a portion of food costs for the first time—and the amount depends on how accurately they calculate benefits.
During the government shutdown, when no one was receiving SNAP benefits, Santillan-Garcia and his girlfriend relied on grocery gift cards they received from a nonprofit to prioritize feeding their friend's baby. They went to a food pantry for themselves, even though many foods, including dairy, make Santillan-Garcia sick.
He's worried he'll find himself in that position again in February, when he has to renew his benefits – with no exceptions for former youth in foster care. Texas officials have not yet informed him what he will need to do to stay on SNAP.
Santillan-Garcia said he is praying that if he can't find a job, he can find another way to ensure he is eligible for long-term SNAP.
“They’ll probably take it away from me,” he said.
What you should know
Changes to SNAP removed exceptions to work requirements for:
- People aged 55 to 64 years.
- Guardians of dependent children 14 years of age and older
- Veterans
- People without housing
- People aged 24 or younger who have left foster care
What SNAP participants must do:
- Contact social assistance organizations to find out when the new rules will take effect in your area. Your benefits may be reviewed at recertification, but you may be required to comply with monthly work reporting rules long before then.
- Tell your state if you are responsible for a dependent child under 14 years of age who lives in your home; pregnant; student at least half the time; attending a drug or alcohol treatment program; physically or mentally unable to work; Native American; or guardian of an incapacitated family member. If so, you may still be exempt from paying the tax.
