The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump a year ago, imposed stricter work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
With some exceptions, recipients must do at least 80 hours per month of work, training or volunteering. The law also increased the upper age limit for work requirements from 54 to 64.
About 2.5 million Americans lost food benefits in the six-month period following the Republican-passed law.
In West Virginia, the Department of Human Services said late last year the expanded work requirements would affect 36,000 residents.
Among them is 62-year-old Helen Comer. She started receiving SNAP benefits after she quit her job at a bank to care for her ailing parents full time. But earlier this year, her benefits were cut to $24 a month because she’s under 65 and not working.
In Episode 37, you’ll hear from Comer about how SNAP’s rules don’t leave room for nuance and why that hurts beneficiaries across the country.
You’ll also get a weekly wrap-up from Daybreak newsletter writer Madyson Fitzgerald. She’s got you covered with the latest on: the debate over death row in the South, the fallout after South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death, and the future of Daylight Saving Time.
Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer. A special thank you to West Virginia Watch Deputy Editor Lori Kersey.
Click here for the full transcript.
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This podcast is produced by States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Florida Phoenix, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
