2.4 million people expected to lose food stamps after Trump agenda law broadened work requirements, CBO says

Source: CNN Politics

Updated Aug 12, 2025, 8:38 AM ET
PUBLISHED Aug 11, 2025, 6:57 PM ET


Some 2.4 million fewer Americans, including families with children, are forecast to receive food stamps benefits in an average month after Republican lawmakers expanded work requirements to some parents, older enrollees and others as part of President Donald Trump’s agenda law, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis released Monday.

And other recipients are expected to see their monthly assistance shrink – at a time when grocery prices remain high and food banks are trying to cope with increased demand.

The law requires parents of dependent children to work for their food stamp benefits for the first time. However, fewer people will lose nutrition assistance under the final version of the sweeping tax and spending cuts package that Trump signed into law last month, compared to the bill passed by the House earlier this year. That version called for requiring parents of children ages 7 and older to work, which would have led to enrollment dropping by 3.2 million people in an average month, a CBO analysis of the House bill found.

The CBO released several reports that looked at the impact of different provisions of the law – which enacts the historic cuts to the nation’s safety net program, while providing trillions of dollars in tax relief – on those who receive food stamps, Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage through fiscal year 2034. It also examined how the package will affect Americans with different incomes, finding that the lowest-income households would see their incomes fall, while the richest would receive a notable bump.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/11/politics/food-stamps-work-requirements-trump-bill