A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
States have been phasing in big changes to food assistance such as increased work requirements. That's an outcome of last year's massive tax and spending law, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Trump administration says the changes will reduce fraud and get more people into the workforce, and people are starting to feel the impact. We asked you, our listeners, tell us what it's been like.
ALISHA GREEN: My name is Alisha Green (ph). I live in Lubec, Maine.
JUSTIN FORTENBERRY: My name's Justin Fortenberry (ph), Bakersfield, California.
MELIDA ARADONDO: Melida Aradondo (ph), Boston, Massachusetts.
HELENA BELICKI: Helena Belicki (ph). I live in Holiday, Florida.
MARTÍNEZ: People told us about childcare struggles, lifelong chronic illness, accidents that have left them temporarily unable to work.
FORTENBERRY: So I don't have any other income besides the food stamps.
GREEN: My payments were reduced, and after this month, I'm not getting SNAP anymore.
BELICKI: Recently, we had been paying for diapers, but I switched over to cloth diapering, so I've kind of eliminated that expense.
MARTÍNEZ: Losing SNAP means looking for help elsewhere.
GREEN: I'm relying on the food bank here in town more. That's difficult because that only operates one day a month.
BELICKI: Just 'cause you don't qualify by a little bit doesn't mean that you can actually afford food, you know (laughter)?
ARADONDO: I just can't believe that now that I'm 60, after having worked well for so many years and everything else, that I'm back at this point.
MARTÍNEZ: We'll hear from those listeners throughout this segment. We also called Ty Jones Cox to help us get the bigger picture of what's happening around the country and why. She's vice president for food assistance at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research institute.
TY JONES COX: So in July of 2025, Republicans in Congress enacted the deepest cuts to SNAP in history. These cuts include forcing most states to partially pay for SNAP benefits for the first time in the program's history. It expanded SNAP's work requirement and they actually also restricted immigrant eligibility.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. So exactly who is getting hit the hardest?
JONES COX: So the mega bill increased the population of people who were subject to a work requirement in SNAP. It went up to the age of 64. So individuals 18 to 64 who are not employed at least 20 hours a week or in some type of job training, they are only eligible for SNAP for three months. In addition, families with children 14 and up are also subject to this time limit. And there's various places where we see where people just aren't able to report that they are working and they are cut off. And so what states are doing is they're placing a larger burden on the household, so more documentation.
FORTENBERRY: I'm not good with all the paperwork, and there's a lot of paperwork.
ARADONDO: Oh, my God, that's this week. What I have to do is submit all my medication and transportation and all that stuff - information related to my condition to see if I can get a boost.
BELICKI: We've only been on the SNAP benefits twice, but each time that we have gotten them, I've had to request a hearing just to receive the benefits.
MARTÍNEZ: Tell us about the challenges that people are facing trying to find jobs or maybe even volunteer hours to satisfy the new requirements. Because that's some of the things that we've been hearing about a lot, in that people are struggling to make that part of the equation work.
JONES COX: So what happens for SNAP is that at least once a month, you're having to report out what your hours were. And so that's either online, coming into the office or making a phone call. We have individuals who may be working, but maybe not enough hours, right? Maybe there isn't a job training option in your state, or you may not be able to get to it. And so people are having trouble maintaining at least 20 hours a week, even when they want to, and especially when they're in environments where there just aren't jobs. And it may take you longer than three months to find another job when you do lose one.
FORTENBERRY: Right now, in the law's eyes, I'm considered able-bodied because I haven't had my disability finalized.
BELICKI: When my workplace doesn't have hours and I can't get hours, we qualify for SNAP, but when I can get hours, then we don't.
MARTÍNEZ: Have these new requirements gotten more people into the workforce?
JONES COX: We haven't seen any data so far that shows work requirements actually help people find jobs.
MARTÍNEZ: So one way or another, Ty, I mean, there are going to be a lot of people that are going to have to prepare, if not preparing already, for the long-term loss of some of their food assistance. What are you hearing from people that are in that situation?
JONES COX: People are really already thinking about how they can reduce household expenses. Just not knowing month to month what is going to happen, and you're concerned and so you're making changes now.
ARADONDO: With my last amount of saved SNAP - like, you can save it to the next month - I spent $80 on buying plants.
GREEN: I've been working pretty hard this year to establish a food garden. It's my hope to see somebody in need and then be able to go pick some vegetables out of my garden and then tell them, come over. Like, I've got food for you for the next, you know, few days for your dinners or whatever.
ARADONDO: I can't use all the food from a food pantry, so I have my particular neighbors and friends who I'll deliver to.
GREEN: People have done that for me. I've woken up - you know, I had some large zucchinis on my doorstep one day (laughter). And it was just a mystery person who dropped it off.
MARTÍNEZ: The other thing I'm wondering, too, is just the idea of surviving with less is not becoming an idea as much as a reality - right? - for a lot of people. Wondering if you've heard anything about people confronting that and accepting that as something that's going to happen eventually.
JONES COX: I think so. And that's, you know, really unfortunate. And it's happening to so many people just because the rising prices of food. Everyone is starting to really think about how do we just live off of less? What are the types of foods that we can buy and either store for a longer period of time or food that make you feel full a little bit longer? Parents are very appreciative that their children are able to eat in school and then thinking about how they'll be able to cover one additional meal outside of school. So they are, unfortunately, just coming to the reality of, this is where we may be right now.
MARTÍNEZ: Ty Jones Cox is the vice president for food assistance at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Ty, thanks again for joining us.
JONES COX: Thank you so much.
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