To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to standardize work requirements for able-bodied adults enrolled in the supplemental nutrition assistance program.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Johnson of South Dakota (for himself, Mr. Feenstra, Mr. …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The America Works Act of 2025 tightens work requirements for able-bodied adults receiving SNAP (food stamp) benefits by standardizing exemptions and limiting state waiver authority. The bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require work or job training participation for most adults without dependents.
Who Benefits and How
Fiscal conservatives and advocates of welfare reform benefit as the bill reduces the scope of exemptions from SNAP work requirements, potentially lowering program costs. States with low unemployment may see reduced SNAP enrollment as fewer able-bodied adults qualify for benefits without meeting work requirements.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Able-bodied adults aged 18-65 without young children face stricter requirements to work, participate in job training, or volunteer to maintain SNAP benefits. States lose flexibility to grant waivers except in counties with unemployment rates exceeding 10%. SNAP recipients who cannot meet work requirements risk losing food assistance.
Key Provisions
- Limits exemptions from work requirements to those under 18, over 65, medically unfit, caregivers of children under 7, or pregnant women
- Restricts state waiver authority to counties with unemployment rates over 10%
- Removes provisions from the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 that may have allowed broader exemptions
- Requires Secretary of Agriculture approval for state waiver requests, with gubernatorial support
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to standardize work requirements for able-bodied adults enrolled in the supplemental nutrition assistance program.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology