States begin enforcing new SNAP work requirements

Starting this month, states are required to begin enforcing new work requirements for anyone receiving SNAP benefits (Source: “Even as SNAP Resumes, New Work Rules Threaten Access for Years To Come,” KFF Health News, Dec. 3).
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Under the new federal budget law, to be eligible for SNAP benefits, more people are required to show that they are working, volunteering or studying.
 
Those who do not file paperwork in time risk losing food aid for up to three years. States were initially instructed to start counting strikes against participants on Nov. 1, the same day that millions of people saw their SNAP benefits dry up because of the Trump administration’s refusal to fund the program during the government shutdown. But federal officials backtracked partway through the month, instead giving states until December to enforce the new rules.
 
Depending on when states implement the rules, many people could start being dropped from SNAP early next year, said Lauren Bauer, a fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution. The changes are expected to knock at least 2.4 million people off SNAP within the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.