Overview

• A USDA memo dated October 3 directs states to implement revised SNAP rules for able-bodied adults without dependents starting November 1.
• Exemptions are narrowed: the upper age rises to 65, caregiving applies only to children under 14, and prior exemptions for some unhoused people, veterans, and former foster youth are removed, while pregnancy and health-related exemptions remain and new native exceptions are added.
• Non‑exempt recipients face the existing three months of benefits in a three‑year period unless they meet participation requirements typically equal to about 80 hours a month through work, training, volunteering, or approved programs.
• Experts caution that parents of 14‑ to 17‑year‑olds may be reclassified as subject to time limits and work rules, risking loss of household benefits during a period when teens’ nutritional needs are high.
• Administration officials argue the policy promotes self‑sufficiency and protects taxpayers, while analyses cited in reporting project fewer people eligible, reductions in monthly benefits, and new state cost‑sharing obligations that could strain budgets and local economies.