What’s Happening With SNAP Now? (Dec. 2025)
What’s Happening With SNAP Now?
SNAP benefits are once again being distributed, but many households are still facing confusion. In the past two months, the federal government shutdown temporarily threatened benefits for 42 million Americans, and several major policy changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act began taking effect. Below is a summary of the most significant updates:
(Note: Today’s rapidly changing federal food policy landscape means policies and our understanding of them are constantly evolving. Please bear this in mind as you read the points below. Use the embedded links to dive deeper into recent SNAP actions.)
SNAP Funding and Access
November benefits have been issued, and federal funding for SNAP is now authorized through September 2026, the end of the current fiscal year.
If participants experience issues with their benefits, they should contact the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
Expanded Work Requirements (Effective November 1, 2025)
States are now required to enforce a new work requirement mandating that all adult SNAP recipients work 80 hours per month to remain eligible.
Key changes include:
The requirement now applies to recipients up to age 64.
It also applies to parents of children ages 14–17.
According to the Congressional Budget Office analysis, the change may result in 2.4 million fewer Americans receiving SNAP benefits in an average month.
Depending on state implementation, benefits could begin to be cut as early as next spring.
New Eligibility Restrictions for Refugees, Individuals Granted Asylum, and Other Humanitarian Entrants
Also on November 1, just one day after USDA released implementation guidance, states were instructed to apply the new SNAP eligibility requirements for alien groups.
This triggered significant concern:
A coalition of Democratic attorneys general sent a letter to USDA calling for clearer guidance and urging the agency to reconsider instructions that could bar some lawful permanent residents from receiving SNAP benefits.
They argue the guidance contains inconsistencies and errors, creating confusion for states and potentially denying thousands of eligible humanitarian migrants the food assistance to which they are legally entitled.
Uncertainty Around a SNAP “Reapplication” Process
Recent media reports quoted Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stating that the agency had uncovered SNAP fraud and would require all current participants to reapply for the program.
However:
Past records show very low rates of fraud in SNAP.
Participants already undergo recertification every 6–12 months.
It remains unclear how any new reapplication process would differ from the existing one.
A group of U.S. Senators sent a letter to Secretary Rollins on November 20, 2025, requesting clarity on the proposed process and urging the department to provide details for state agencies.
Legislative Efforts to Reverse SNAP Changes
Last week, Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced the Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act of 2025, legislation aimed at reversing SNAP changes made by H.R.1.
Nearly 1,500 organizations from hunger, farm, health, and community sectors have endorsed the bill.
Although the bill faces long odds, it signals that many lawmakers are actively pushing to protect and restore food assistance.
