Overview
- Following restored funding after the shutdown, USDA directed states to issue full November benefits, though many report processing delays and uneven distribution schedules.
- Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said every SNAP participant must reapply to continue receiving benefits, with no start date or detailed procedures yet provided.
- Rollins cited preliminary data from 29 states alleging 186,000 deceased recipients and 500,000 duplicate enrollments, while the Congressional Research Service describes SNAP fraud as rare.
- The summer megabill expands work requirements to able-bodied adults up to age 64, requires at least 80 hours of work or approved activities per month, and extends requirements to parents of teens and previously exempt groups such as veterans and people experiencing homelessness.
- The law narrows non-citizen eligibility and introduces future state cost-sharing tied to payment error rates starting in 2028, with CBO projecting that millions could lose benefits over the coming years.