SNAP Enrollment Drops About 5 Million After H.R. 1 Work Rules

Overview

• USDA data show nearly 37 million people received SNAP in April 2026, about five million fewer than a year earlier, marking a sharp national decline in participation.
• The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), signed in July 2025, requires many recipients to document 80 hours per month of work, training, or volunteering and expands work-rule coverage up to age 64 and to additional groups such as some veterans and former foster youth.
• States have recorded widely uneven drops in enrollment, with Arizona reporting one of the largest falls—roughly a 55% decline from April 2025—and other states seeing decreases from low single digits to more than 20 percent.
• Beginning in October 2026 the federal share of SNAP administrative costs falls sharply, and starting in October 2027 states with high payment-error rates may be asked to share benefit costs, which could push states to tighten administration or eligibility.
• Advocates warn the changes and new paperwork are increasing food hardship and straining food banks while the administration says a stronger labor market and removal of ineligible recipients explain part of the decline; the CBO projects work-rule changes will cut average monthly participation by about 2.4 million over 2025–2034.