As President Donald Trump signed the massive tax cut bill (One Big Beautiful Bill Act) on the 4th, it appears that about 300,000 food stamp (SNAP) beneficiaries in New York will lose their eligibility.
With the Trump tax cut law enacted, the budget for Medicaid and food stamp (SNAP) was cut by 1.2 trillion dollars, and the service reduction became inevitable. New York State estimates that about 300,000 people, or 10% of the total 3 million food stamp beneficiaries, will lose their eligibility due to the tax cut law.
According to the New York State Temporary and Disability Assistance Administration (NYSTPDA), which oversees the food stamp program, approximately 400,000 New Yorkers will no longer be eligible for work exemptions to receive SNAP benefits due to the implementation of the Trump tax cut law, and approximately 300,000 of these are expected to ultimately be eliminated.
Under the Trump tax cut law, veterans and the homeless, who were previously exempt from the work requirement, must now meet the work requirement to receive SNAP benefits. In addition, only parents with dependent children under the age of 14 and seniors over the age of 65 are now exempt from the work requirement.
Previously, this exemption also included parents with dependent children under the age of 18 and seniors over the age of 55. Food stamps are a food assistance program provided to poor residents, and as of 2024, a household of one can purchase up to $292 per month and a household of four can purchase up to $975 per month. However, to receive SNAP benefits, even poor people must meet the ‘Able-Born Adult Without Dependents’ (ABAWD) work requirement of at least 80 hours per month.