Nearly 42 million people receive SNAP (food stamp) benefits to help supplement their grocery budgets. Able-bodied SNAP recipients who are between 18 and 54 and don't have children have always been required to work. Around 1.2 million veterans with lower incomes, or about 8% of the total veteran population of 16.2 million, rely on SNAP for themselves and their families. Veterans have been exempt from the work rules. But Trump's 'BBB' eliminates that exemption. Beginning in 2026, veterans will have to prove they are working, volunteering, participating in job training, or looking for work for at least 80 hours a month to keep their food stamps beyond three months, unless they qualify for another exemption, such as having certain disabilities.
Approximately 300,000 New Yorkers could lose SNAP benefits due to work requirements. Of those, around 22,000 are veterans, homeless, or aging out of foster care. In California, an estimated 115,000 veterans receive SNAP benefits. Veterans tend to have higher rates of unemployment because they are more likely to have health conditions, such as traumatic brain injuries or PTSD, that make it difficult for them to work. Veterans also tend to have less formal education, though many have specialized skills from their time in the military. Critics say the change fails to take into account the barriers many veterans face, and that the new work rules will cause thousands of veterans to go hungry.
