America Works Act of 2025
The America Works Act of 2025 would amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to standardize the work requirements for able-bodied adults enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The bill clarifies who is exempt from work requirements (including minors, seniors, those medically unfit for work, primary caregivers for young children, pregnant women, and others specifically exempted by law) and creates a federal mechanism for waivers in areas with high unemployment. Specifically, states could request a waiver from the general work requirement for groups of individuals in a county or county-equivalent if that county’s unemployment rate exceeds 10 percent. The bill also makes a conforming amendment related to a prior law. Overall, the aim is to create consistent standards across states for ABAWDs while providing a flexibility pathway for high-unemployment areas.
Key Points
- 1Standardizes work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents enrolled in SNAP across states.
- 2Establishes explicit exemptions from the work requirement, including individuals under 18 or over 65, those medically unfit for employment, primary caregivers of dependent children under 7, those otherwise exempt under a separate provision, and pregnant women.
- 3Allows, on the request of a State agency and with state leadership support, a waiver of the general work requirement for any group of individuals in a state if the county or county-equivalent has an unemployment rate over 10 percent.
- 4Replaces or modifies a provision from a previous law (the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023) to align with the new standard.
- 5Maintains a focus on SNAP policy changes tied to labor market conditions, rather than adding new funding or programmatic requirements beyond the waiver and exemption structure.