September Group LLC

Enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, has decreased by nearly 3.5 million people since stricter eligibility requirements were enacted last July, federal data show. Some states, including Arizona, are seeing dramatic declines in the numbers of SNAP recipients.

Under the new rules, able-bodied adults aged 18 to 64 without children under 14 must work, volunteer or participate in approved job-training programs for at least 80 hours a month. The previous age limit for work requirements was 54, and allowed exemptions for adults with children under 18.

Immigrants who enter or remain in the country illegally have never been eligible for SNAP benefits, but the new rules end eligibility for certain non-U.S. citizens in the country with legal permission.

Last fiscal year, an average of 42.1 million people, including children, received monthly SNAP benefits at a total cost of $101.7 billion, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department, which oversees the program.

Monthly enrollment began a sustained drop in July 2025, when President Trump’s tax and spending megabill became law, federal data show. In January, the latest available federal data showed the number of people receiving benefits had dropped to 38.5 million, a decrease of more than 8% over around six months.

In Arizona, which incorporated the new rules immediately after the legislation’s passage, the number of SNAP recipients has fallen by roughly 50%, according to state data.

Brett Bezio, a spokesman for Arizona’s Department of Economic Security, which administers the program there, said work-requirement changes were the primary driver of the drop ….

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the tighter work requirements will reduce spending on SNAP by $68.6 billion over roughly the next decade. The office also estimated it would result in an around 2.4 million fewer people receiving monthly SNAP benefits over that period.

More Than Three Million People Have Lost Federal Food Aid The number of food-stamp recipients is dropping sharply as states start implementing new Trump administration rules on who qualifies for SNAP benefits.