SNAP Enrollment Plummets After Work-Requirement Expansion Under OBBBA

USDA data released May 14 show SNAP enrollment fell from 42.8 million in January 2025 to 37.8 million in February 2026, an 11 percent drop and a loss of roughly 668 000 participants in a single month. SNAP, nation’s largest anti-hunger program, provides an average monthly benefit of $354.32 per household through prepaid electronic cards. The decline follows the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), enacted in 2025, which tightened eligibility and expanded work-requirement rules for adults up to age 64, including Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs), veterans, homeless individuals, former foster youth, and parents of children aged 14 or older. Many recipients lose benefits during the three-to-six-month recertification cycle because of missed paperwork or failure to meet the new work conditions. State-level data illustrate the breadth of the drop: Arizona lost 60 719 enrollees (-11.9 %); Georgia shed 137 338 (-9.6 %); Delaware fell 6.3 % month-to-month. Louisiana, Virginia and Texas together accounted for more than 85 000 lost participants, while California, Florida and Pennsylvania each saw declines of 24 000-37 000. Alaska, Idaho and West Virginia recorded modest gains of 1 647, 574 and 78 recipients respectively. Steepest month-to-month declines occurred after OBBBA rules took effect, with largest single-month drop between October and November 2025, when enrollment fell by over 1.09 million as states met a USDA compliance deadline.

Newsweek

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins defended the OBBBA reforms as essential to curb fraud, waste, and to prevent illegal aliens from receiving SNAP, and to hold states accountable for error rates while strengthening work requirements. The administration frames the changes as measures to improve program integrity and promote self-sufficiency.

Newsweek

Elizabeth Palley, professor of social work and director of the doctoral program at Adelphi University, warned that the enrollment drop could raise hardship for low-income households, increase food insecurity, and reduce spending at local retailers, potentially depressing sales, leading to store closures and expanding food deserts.

Newsweek

• “tackles the fraud and waste that has run rampant” — Brooke Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

Newsweek

• “holds states accountable for their error rates, strengthens work requirements, and prevents illegal aliens from receiving SNAP.” — Brooke Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

Newsweek

• “Existing research suggests that with a drop in SNAP benefits, there will be an increase in food insecurity.” — Elizabeth Palley, Professor of Social Work, Adelphi University

Newsweek

The USDA will continue monitoring enrollment as states implement OBBBA requirements. Advocacy groups have called for congressional hearings to assess the policy’s impact on food security and local economies. Additional USDA data releases are expected in the coming months, which may inform future adjustments to SNAP eligibility and work-requirement rules.

Newsweek