HR 1452119th CongressIn Committee

Ending the Cycle of Dependency Act of 2025

Introduced: Feb 21, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

Ending the Cycle of Dependency Act of 2025 would expand and codify work requirements for two major federal programs: SNAP (food assistance) and Medicaid. For SNAP, the bill makes changes to existing work-requirement provisions in the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, adjusting who is exempt and how work requirements are assessed. For Medicaid, it creates a new, explicit monthly work requirement for “applicable individuals,” defines what counts as meeting that requirement (including earnings, hours of work, or hours of community service/program participation), and introduces enforcement tools for states (including the possibility to disenroll or withdraw federal funding for months when requirements are not met). The overall effect is to tighten work-related conditions for a broad set of low-income people, while giving states new levers to administer and enforce these rules. The bill is sponsored in the House by Rep. Burlison (with Reps. Brecheen and Onder as co-sponsors) and was introduced in February 2025.

Key Points

1SNAP work requirements reshaped: The bill amends Section 6(o) of the Food and Nutrition Act to adjust exemptions and eligibility criteria for SNAP work requirements, including adding an exemption for individuals over age 60 and for adults with dependent children under age 6, while removing certain other exemptions. The exact subparagraph changes streamline or reconfigure who must meet work obligations.
2New Medicaid work requirement concept: The bill adds a new work requirement framework to the Medicaid program by creating a defined category of “applicable individuals” and establishing a monthly work standard tied to work or program participation.
3Monthly work options: For an applicable individual in a given month, meeting the work requirement can be achieved by:
4- Working 80 hours or earning an amount at least equal to 80 hours of federal minimum wage (80 hours times the federal minimum wage), or
5- Completing 80 hours of community service, or
6- Participating in a designated work program for 80 hours, or
7- A combination of the above totaling at least 80 hours in the month.
8Expanded definitions: The bill defines “applicable individual” as someone who is not under 19 or 60+, not physically/mentally unfit, not pregnant, not the parent/caregiver of a dependent child under 6, not caregiver of an incapacitated person, not already complying with another work requirement, and not enrolled in an educational program at least half-time. It also clarifies what counts as an “educational program” and what constitutes a “work program.”
9Federal funding participation and enrollment penalties: The bill adds a new provision (1903(i)(28)) that can reduce or deny federal financial participation for a month if the applicable individual did not meet the work requirement for 3 or more preceding months in the same year. It also authorizes states to disenroll an applicable individual for a month if there would be no Federal funding available for that month, giving states an option to limit eligibility temporarily.
10State administration and enforcement: States would have discretion to implement and enforce these work requirements, including a mechanism to disenroll individuals for months with no federal funding. This creates a more centralized but flexibly administered approach to work requirements within Medicaid.
11Educational and programmatic flexibility: Definitions allow educational activities (college, career/technical education, or other approved programs) to count toward the work requirement, provided the individual is in an approved educational program (half-time or other specified status).

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- SNAP recipients and Medicaid enrollees who would be classified as “applicable individuals” under the bill. These are the people subject to the new monthly work requirements and potential sanctions or disenrollment if requirements are not met.Secondary group/area affected- State Medicaid agencies and the administrative systems that administer the Medicaid program, since states would implement the new work-requirement framework and decide on disenrollment options.- Employers, community service organizations, and work programs that would be part of counting hours or providing eligible activities.- Educational institutions and providers of career/technical education, since attendance and half-time study could influence eligibility under the educational program definition.Additional impacts- Budget and federal-state funding effects: Possible changes in federal financial participation for Medicaid months and potential adjustments to state and federal budget planning.- Administrative burden: Increased tracking of hours, activities, and monthly attestations; potential for appeals or disputes over whether requirements were met.- Social and poverty-related effects: Tighter work requirements could affect food assistance access and health coverage for some low-income individuals, with potential implications for food security, health access, and household stability.- Legal and policy dynamics: The changes would interact with existing waivers, state plan approvals, and other federal requirements; could prompt state-level policy changes, waivers, or challenges during implementation.“80 hours per month” roughly equals about 20 hours per week, though actual calculation depends on month length.“Applicable individual” is a carefully carved-out category intended to exclude certain groups (young children, pregnant individuals, people with caregiving responsibilities, etc.) from the requirement, but the bill also tightens who falls into that category.The new enforcement tools (disenrollment and 1903(i)(28) eligibility restrictions) are designed to tighten program participation but raise concerns about access to essential health care and nutrition benefits for vulnerable populations.

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