Trump’s food stamp reforms are working
President Donald Trump's reforms under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act have led to a reduction of 3.5 million people on food stamps since July 2025, according to the article. The reforms impose work requirements on able-bodied adults without children and restrict benefits for most immigrants. Government spending has decreased, and participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program continues to decline.
- ▪States have reduced food stamp enrollment by 3.5 million people since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act became law in July 2025.
- ▪The OBBBA requires able-bodied adults aged 18 to 64 without children to work or participate in job training for at least 80 hours per month to remain eligible.
- ▪The act also cuts off food stamp benefits for most immigrants, including refugees, asylees, and undocumented immigrants granted status under Biden's parole programs.
- ▪Food stamp participation peaked at nearly 48 million in 2013 under Obama but dropped to 36 million by 2019 due to earlier Trump-era restrictions.
- ▪Some states, such as Arizona, have seen food stamp participation fall by half since the OBBBA was enacted.
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After former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden massively increased access to food stamps, President Donald Trump’s reforms in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are working to cut back the bloat. States have reportedly reduced food stamp rolls by 3.5 million people since the bill became law. Government spending is thus being cut, reducing deficits and increasing independence as more Americans get off the couch and back into the labor force. These are welcome developments that future administrations should preserve. Before Obama, participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more commonly known as food stamps, fluctuated with the economy, rising during recessions and falling during expansions, but never rising much higher than 10% of the population.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Washington Examiner.
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