New York is feeling the first effects of changes Republicans in Washington made last year to SNAP food aid, with expanded work rules now in force, enrollment declining and counties facing big new costs to run the program.
The changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — monthly payments used to buy groceries for more than 1 in 10 people in the U.S. — were part of the package of tax and spending cuts President Donald Trump signed into law in July 2025, dubbed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." They're expected to shrink federal spending on SNAP by $187 billion over a decade.
In New York, one effect so far has been the reinstatement on March 1 of a work requirement that had been on hold since the COVID pandemic started in 2020, and that now
applies to a broader range of people. Adults enrolled in SNAP who have no disability and no children under age 14 must show they are working, volunteering or training for jobs at least 80 hours a month in order to keep their benefits.
Those who fail to document their work for three months lose their benefits. New York counties started taking that step on June 1 after the first three-month period had passed.
The GOP law also tightened SNAP eligibility, taking away benefits from immigrants living legally in the U.S. after being admitted as refugees or granted asylum.
And it shifted expenses to the states, partly by having them cover part of the benefits for the first time since the program — formerly known as food stamps — started 62 years ago. That obligation won't start until next year, but the more immediate problem for New York is that its counties and New York City must absorb an estimated $168 million in annual SNAP administrative costs, starting Oct. 1.
SNAP enrollment has been falling all over the U.S. since the law's enactment. As of May, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, some 36.6 million Americans were getting SNAP benefits — a nearly 14% drop in the last year.
What do NY numbers show about initial SNAP change impacts?
Some 2.7 million New Yorkers, or almost 14% of the population, received SNAP grocery subsidies in June, according to the most recent count by the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, or OTDA. That total was down by about 220,000 since July 2025, when the law with the SNAP changes was enacted.
Many of those recipients are children, seniors and people with disabilities, none of whom are required to meet the work requirement. According to OTDA figures provided to the USA TODAY Network, around 187,000 of New York's SNAP enrollees as of mid-May — just 7% of all recipients that month — were classified as able-bodied adults without children, the group that must show work records to keep benefits.
Determining how many lost benefits so far due to the work requirement is tough to pin down. OTDA officials say the number of able-bodied adult enrollees dropped 29% to 133,000 by mid-July, although they cautioned against attributing that plunge solely to people being disqualified for failing to show work records. They noted that SNAP enrollment is always in flux due to multiple factors, and argued it's too soon to judge the impact in New York.
OTDA officials say they've been working with local social service agencies, advocacy groups and others to help SNAP recipients understand and meet the expanded work requirement so they keep their food aid.
"OTDA remains focused on continuing to support districts and clients throughout implementation so that we can together ensure as many households as possible remain connected to vital SNAP benefits that help them afford food,” the agency said in a statement.
No figures were available on how many immigrants with legal status have so far lost their SNAP benefits in New York due to last year's federal law.
Data from NY counties show initial impact
The GOP law expanded in several ways the types of SNAP enrollees who must show they're working. It raised the age cutoff by 10 years, to 65 instead of 55. It added more parents by lowering the age limit for dependent children to 14 instead of 18. And it eliminated exemptions for veterans, homeless people and people ages 24 and younger who were in foster care when they turned 18.
Still, the share of SNAP enrollees who are bound by the work requirement remains limited, according to figures several counties provided to the USA TODAY Network.
In Westchester County, officials said that 3,118 recipients, or around 5% of the county's total SNAP enrollees, were deemed subject to the work rules in March. Out of that group, 1,310 then qualified for other exemptions, 1,470 met the work requirement and 337 failed to do so and lost their benefits as of early August.
On the other side of the Hudson River, Rockland County officials said that out of 1,048 SNAP enrollees classified by March 1 as able-bodied adults, 568 were granted exemptions, 61 complied with the work requirement and 419 lost their benefits.
Neighboring Orange County said just 917 enrollees were subject to work requirements after exemptions were granted. That number had dropped to 159 by August after some were disqualified for non-compliance
Across the state in Monroe County, officials said 5,385 SNAP enrollees — 6% of 88,640 total recipients as of March 1 — were checked for work compliance from May 31 to July 31 and 4,123 lost their benefits. Some may later have recovered their aid by proving their compliance, qualifying for an exemption or reapplying under new circumstances, Monroe officials added.
SNAP takes shape on the campaign trail
Democrats have been blasting Republicans for the law's safety-net spending cuts to both SNAP and Medicaid since the "big beautiful bill" was being assembled in early 2025. That criticism is now carrying over into midterm election campaigns, with Democrats focusing on those cuts as Republicans tout the law's tax reductions in a battle to frame the law's impact for voters.
Last week, the House Democrats' campaign arm sent mobile billboards denouncing SNAP cuts to the House districts of five Republicans facing tough re-election fights, including New York Rep. Mike Lawler. The billboard traveled around Lawler's Lower Hudson Valley district on Aug. 26 and featured images of empty plates with two messages: "Mike Lawler voted for $187 billion in SNAP cuts"; and "Mike Lawler is taking food off your plate."
“New Yorkers are struggling to keep up with sky-high grocery costs because of Mike Lawler's broken promises, and the DCCC is holding him accountable for his betrayal," Riya Vashi, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in an announcement of the billboard launch.
Lawler campaign strategist Chris Russell defended the law's SNAP changes in a statement to the USA TODAY Network on Tuesday, Sept 1. He said they "rightfully disqualify illegal immigrants," enforce the work requirement and force states like New York to reduce their erroneous SNAP payments. The transfer of SNAP benefit costs to states in 2027 is based on their "payment error rates."
"These are all common sense and fair reforms that strengthen these programs for people who truly need them, not reward scam artists stealing from hardworking taxpayers," he said.
Cait Conley, the Democrat challenging Lawler in the 17th District race on Nov. 3, has condemned the SNAP cuts and vowed to "protect the lifelines that Hudson Valley families rely on to put food on the table." Her campaign didn't respond to a request late on Thursday, Sept. 1, for her positions on the specific SNAP changes that the law made.
Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA TODAY Network. Reach him at CMcKenna@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: How Republican SNAP food aid changes are impacting New York
