MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Nearly 42 million people rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, to put food on the table. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is in charge of SNAP, has only just started to issue guidance on how states should implement new work requirements for people to receive these benefits. NPR's Maria Godoy reports.
MARIA GODOY, BYLINE: The changes to SNAP were included in the massive spending and tax bill President Trump signed into law this summer. Under the new rules, most able-bodied adults without dependents must now prove they work, volunteer or take part in a training program for at least 80 hours a month in order to keep their benefits. Previously, people age 55 and up were exempt from meeting the work requirements. Under the new rules, people aren't exempt until age 65, says Ed Bolen with the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
ED BOLEN: So older unemployed adults who may struggle to find work because they've lost their job in their early 60s, it could be hard to find a new one.
GODOY: And parents of children age 14 and up will now be required to work to keep their benefits. People who don't meet the work requirements will only be able to receive SNAP benefits for three months in a three-year period.
BOLEN: There are estimates that about 2.4 million people would lose benefits under these time-limit-related changes that the new law requires.
GODOY: Bolen says most people who receive SNAP do want to work, but it might take more than three months to find a job. Angela Rachidi is with the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. She says with unemployment still relatively low, three months should be appropriate time to find work.
ANGELA RACHIDI: The overarching goal of the policy is to ensure that there's an expectation for work or a path towards work for those who are seeking government benefits.
GODOY: But a 2021 study by the Urban Institute found that limiting how long people can receive SNAP benefits does not lead to more people getting jobs, but it does lead to more people losing food aid. Late last week, the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service started putting out guidelines on how to implement the new rules. A USDA spokesperson told NPR states have until November 1 to adopt the changes to SNAP. But details on just how to do that are still scarce, says Louise Hayes. She's an attorney at Community Legal Services who helps clients access SNAP benefits in Philadelphia. The city has been wrestling with implementing work requirements.
LOUISE HAYES: Many of our clients are very confused and alarmed by the new work requirements because they've had almost no time to prepare for the work requirement. And many don't even know about it.
GODOY: And she worries people will lose benefits because of changing and additional paperwork requirements. The USDA says it will roll out more details by the end of the month. Maria Godoy, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF SINY'S "ORANGE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
