Work Requirements Are Now Taking a Bite Out of SNAP Enrollments

There’s an old saying about welfare programs in general: Liberals measure the success of a social welfare program by how many people are enrolled, while conservatives measure that success by the number of people who no longer need it. That certainly applies to things like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which purports to put healthy food on the tables of Americans who are lower on the economic scale. It doesn’t always work that way, though; like so many welfare programs, SNAP is subject to considerable abuse.

Here’s some evidence: As the Trump administration’s rather mild work requirements kicked in, SNAP enrollments have dropped, and they have dropped faster than expected. That’s a good thing; if people are dropping out of SNAP because they can’t be arsed to work a few hours a week, they didn’t really need it in the first place.

That’s not how the legacy media is spinning it.

Enrollment in the biggest federally funded food aid program in the U.S. dropped by more than 13% in a 12-month span — a decline far steeper than the government estimated as work requirements and other provisions of President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” take hold.

Those losing coverage in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, include people who don’t meet the tightening requirements to participate, and, advocates say, some who qualify for the help but are rejected because they miss deadlines or don’t have the needed documentation handy. It’s too early to tell exactly how many fall into each group.

It’s also unclear how many have lost coverage because some state agencies that run the programs are overwhelmed trying to keep up with changes. That was the case in Arizona, which saw the nation’s largest enrollment drop.

I have little sympathy for people who are able-bodied and don’t want to work, or who miss deadlines. The work requirements aren’t that nasty; applicants between 18 and 64 have to register for work, participate in SNAP’s Employment and Training program, accept a job if one is offered, and not quit any job or drop weekly hours below 30. Now, I don’t know what the rest of the country is like, but in our towns and our one city (Anchorage) around here, almost every gas station and convenience store has Help Wanted signs up. And this isn’t a new thing; there have been work requirements for some time; the One Big Beautiful Bill just tightened things up some.

The numbers are good news – if you’re a conservative.

Newly released federal data found SNAP enrollment fell from 42.2 million in May 2025 to 36.6 million in May, a drop of more than 13 percent in a year. The May data are preliminary and could be revised.

Since 2010, the average number of monthly beneficiaries has been below 40 million for only two years — 2019 and 2020. The rolls started dropping after a recent peak of 43.3 million in October 2024. It’s fallen much faster since implementation began last year for Trump’s “one big beautiful bill,” which cut taxes and overhauled social safety net programs.

Here’s the thing: If someone is taking food assistance at taxpayers’ expense, they should have to do some work to earn it, if they are able. Granted, there will always be people who, through no fault of their own, are unable to support themselves. We are a wealthy and compassionate society, and there are and should be safety nets for these people. But too many are using them as a hammock. That’s being pared down now, and the food assistance is (hopefully mostly) going to people who genuinely need it.

In the end, though, this is what I’m fond of describing as a “good start.” Honestly, a food assistance program should have one purpose: To keep the beneficiaries from starving. No candy, no sugary drinks, no prepared foods, not even take-and-cook pizzas. Bulk rice, beans, potatoes, some lean turkey in either breast or ground form. Milk and cheese if there are kids in the family. That’s it. That’s all. If people are hungry, get them food they can live on – but not junk food or party food. 

For now, though, we are one step closer to ensuring that the SNAP program is only going to people who need it. We should count that as a win.

Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and bold policies, America’s economy is back on track.

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