Millions of American households depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to afford food, especially during times of economic stress. The OBBBA, passed in 2025, introduces sweeping changes to SNAP — tightening eligibility, increasing work requirements, shifting costs to states, and reducing federal support for important program features.
Under the new law, the age range for “able-bodied adults without dependents” (ABAWDs) subject to stricter work rules is expanded: adults up to age 64 are now included. Exemptions are narrowed: for example, only caregivers with children under 14 qualify for relief (previously, that cap was under 18). Veterans, the homeless, and young adults who aged out of foster care lose their prior exemptions.
States will also have to pay more of SNAP’s administrative costs. Under the OBBBA, USDA will pay only 25% of administrative costs (down from 50%), meaning states must now cover 75% of those expenses. On top of that, states may be required to contribute a share of benefit costs depending on their “payment error rate” — how often payments are overpaid or underpaid.
The changes to work requirements are expected to have a big impact: according to CBO estimates (and other independent analyses), 2.4 million people could lose SNAP benefits in an “average month” because of the stricter work rules.
Another major change: the law ends funding for SNAP-ED, the nutrition education and obesity-prevention grant program that helps people learn to eat healthily on a tight budget.
Regarding eligibility, the bill also restricts non-citizen access: some groups of legal immigrants will no longer qualify for SNAP benefits under OBBBA.
The adjustments to how the Thrifty Food Plan is calculated could affect benefits over time. The law limits future increases in the plan’s cost based on inflation and sets out a schedule for how often market baskets (which inform benefit amounts) can be re-evaluated.
Financially, the projected budget impact is large: the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the SNAP provisions in OBBBA will reduce federal spending on SNAP by roughly $187 billion between FY 2025 and FY 2034.
Critics argue these reforms could worsen food insecurity. Tighter work requirements, reduced exemptions, and increased state financial burdens may push out vulnerable people — including older adults, caregivers, and legally residing immigrants. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities warns that these changes could disproportionately impact people with disabilities and older adults who face barriers to maintaining the required work hours.
