Welfare Reform Boost: More States Enforce New 80-Hour SNAP Rules

The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, has been in desperate need of reform for quite a while. While Democrat administrations (I'm looking at you, Barack Obama) have measured success by how many people are on these programs, during the Obama administration, the Department of Agriculture actually ran television and radio ads promoting SNAP - conservatives tend to measure success by how many people no longer need them.

But incentives matter, too, and that's part of the ongoing rollout of SNAP reforms pushed by President Trump. Some of those reforms just went into effect on Sunday.

New work requirements are expanding across more states Sunday for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the nation’s largest federal assistance program.
Starting today, adults between the ages of 18 and 64 without dependent children must work, participate in employment and training programs, or volunteer at least 80 hours per month to be eligible to receive SNAP benefits. Those who do not meet the requirement can receive benefits for only three months within a three-year period.
The new requirements expand work rules to additional groups that were previously exempt, including adults ages 55 to 64 and parents with children ages 14 or older. The law also eliminates prior exemptions for veterans, homeless people and individuals ages 18 to 24 who were in foster care when they turned 18, according to federal guidance.
The changes stem from provisions included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law last summer.

In other words, there is a new incentive here: If you're able to work, then one way or another, you're going to. That's a good thing. Some of these people doubtless have skills that can be put to good use. If not, well, there is always litter along the roadways and highways that needs to be picked up, and ditches that need to be dug.

But wait! There's more!

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the new provisions will reduce SNAP participation by an estimated 2.4 million people over the next 10 years. About a third of those affected are able-bodied adults ages 18 to 64 without dependent children, while roughly 300,000 are able-bodied adults in that age range who live with children ages 14 or older.
Beyond work requirements, the law also makes broader changes to SNAP that will affect benefit levels for many households, including limits on future benefit increases and changes to how certain living expenses are counted when calculating monthly aid, according to the CBO. Those provisions are expected to result in smaller benefit amounts over time, even for some recipients who remain eligible.

So, these new rules are saving the taxpayers a few bucks and also incentivizing people to go to work. That's a win-win.

USDA Sec Rollins Suspends $129M in Federal Awards, Telling Walz and Frey: 'Time to Drain the MN Swamp'

Now, let's take the next step. No more sugary drinks, pastries, candies, or cookies. Limit what can be bought. No more take-and-bake pizzas, no more frozen burritos. Bulk flour, bulk rice, dry beans, some lean turkey or chicken, and, if there are children, milk. I've been proposing this for a couple of decades, and all too often am presented with the retort, "You can't tell people what they can and can't eat!" Well, if I'm paying for it, I darn well can, and that's for sure and for certain.

This is a good step forward. But there's a lot of work yet to be done to ensure that our country's welfare system is a safety net, and not a hammock.

Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and bold policies, America’s economy is back on track.

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