SNAP Overhaul Bill Boosts Work Rules to Age 65, Tightens Eligibility & Mandates New Poverty Tracking

This proposed legislation, the "SNAP Reform and Upward Mobility Act of 2025," sets out to reshape the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – commonly known as food stamps – and overhaul how the U.S. measures poverty. The core goals stated in the bill are boosting employment and self-sufficiency among recipients, defined as earning above the poverty line without federal help. It introduces stricter work requirements, changes eligibility rules, increases state financial contributions, and mandates more detailed data collection on income and benefits.

Beyond the Paycheck: A New Look at Poverty

Title I of the bill focuses on getting a clearer picture of poverty by requiring the Census Bureau to gather much more detailed information starting in FY 2025. Think beyond just wages – they'll track participation in various federal benefit programs (like SNAP, Medicaid, housing aid) and assign cash values to non-cash benefits (Sec. 101). This includes collecting data on market income, government benefits, and taxes paid to calculate a new metric: "total resource unit income." The idea is to better understand the real economic situation of households receiving aid. A new commission will also be formed to figure out the best ways to put a dollar value on these government benefits (Sec. 102). Importantly, this new data can't be used by the Office of Management and Budget to change the official poverty line itself (Sec. 101), but annual reports will compare poverty rates using the old and new methods (Sec. 103).

Working for Benefits: Raising the Bar

The biggest changes for SNAP recipients come under Title II, particularly Section 201. The age limit for general work requirements jumps from 60 up to 65. This means more older adults nearing traditional retirement age will need to meet work or training participation rules to keep their benefits. The bill also tightens exemptions based on local unemployment rates, shifting the focus from broader "areas" to specific "counties or county equivalents" and lowering the threshold for high unemployment exemptions (Sec. 201). There's also a new emphasis on supervised job search programs. Essentially, the path to receiving SNAP benefits for able-bodied adults without dependents (and now, older adults) involves stricter work-related obligations.

Getting and Keeping SNAP: New Rules and Responsibilities

Eligibility rules are also tightening up. Section 204 adds a requirement: to qualify for SNAP, households generally need to have received another means-tested benefit (cash or non-cash) worth at least $50 for six consecutive months. This could create an extra hurdle for some families applying for assistance. The bill also requires individuals to cooperate fully with fraud investigations, including attending meetings and hearings, or risk losing eligibility (Sec. 205). Even how EBT cards are used faces new scrutiny: states must register users, capping the number at five per household, and penalties for unauthorized use escalate from warnings to benefit suspensions (Sec. 206).

States Step Up: More Funding, More Fraud Focus

States administering SNAP will see their financial obligations increase significantly. Section 203 phases in a state matching requirement for administrative costs, starting at 10% in FY 2025 and rising to 50% by FY 2033. This means states will need to budget more of their own funds to run the program. On the flip side, states get more power to combat fraud. They can disqualify retailers caught trafficking benefits or selling prohibited items (Sec. 209) and get to keep a larger share (50%, up from 35%) of funds they recover from fraud cases, provided the extra money is used for more fraud investigations (Sec. 210). The bill also mandates annual reauthorization for stores deemed medium or high-risk for fraud (Sec. 207) and requires detailed annual state activity reports (Sec. 208).