Debt Deal Broadens SNAP Work Requirements But Exempts Some Groups

The debt-ceiling bill negotiated between Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will expand work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by increasing the age limit on able-bodied adults without dependents from 49 to 54.
The deal also included new program exemptions for people experiencing homelessness, veterans and people ages 18 to 24 who were in foster care when they turned 18.
Despite Republicans' intention to cut government spending on food stamps by expanding work requirements, the government will actually spend more, not less, on the program, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Work requirements don't increase labor force participation among safety net recipients, according to research, and additional paperwork discourages participation in government assistance programs and increases the cost of administering the benefits.
Advocates warn that the debt limit bill was the most substantial change of the work rules for food aid and other government assistance programs since they were put into place in the 1996 welfare overhaul.