Minnesota mother faces SNAP benefit loss under new work requirements
8 reported
A single mother in Minnesota, identified only as Mara, may lose her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to new work requirements enacted under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Mara, who has two children and has been unemployed since August, has applied for over 100 jobs without success. Previously, SNAP recipients with children under 18 were exempt from work requirements, but the new law limits that exemption to parents with children under 14. Mara’s youngest child turned 14 in December, making her ineligible for the exemption. The White House stated that SNAP was intended as temporary help and has become too large, but policy experts argue the changes do not account for challenges faced by single parents or the sluggish job market. The Congressional Budget Office estimates roughly 2.4 million people will lose food benefits over the next decade due to the new rules. Mara fears losing SNAP will force her to rely heavily on food banks, which she says often lack sufficient food for her family and gluten-free options for her daughter with celiac disease. A single mother in Minnesota, identified only as Mara, may lose her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to new work requirements enacted under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Mara, who has two children and has been unemployed since August, has applied for over 100 jobs without success. Previously, SNAP recipients with children under 18 were exempt from work requirements, but the new law limits that exemption to parents with children under 14. Mara’s youngest child turned 14 in December, making her ineligible for the exemption. The White House stated that SNAP was intended as temporary help and has become too large, but policy experts argue the changes do not account for challenges faced by single parents or the sluggish job market. The Congressional Budget Office estimates roughly 2.4 million people will lose food benefits over the next decade due to the new rules. Mara fears losing SNAP will force her to rely heavily on food banks, which she says often lack sufficient food for her family and gluten-free options for her daughter with celiac disease.
What’s reported
Mara is a single mother in Minnesota with two children; her youngest turned 14 in December.
She lost her part-time administrative assistant job in August due to workplace restructuring and has applied for over 100 positions since.
The new work requirements under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act exempt SNAP recipients only if they have children under 14, down from under 18.
The White House said SNAP was intended as temporary help but has become too large.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates 2.4 million people will lose food benefits in a typical month over the next decade due to the changes.
In Minnesota, recipients who do not qualify for an exemption may lose assistance as early as April 1.
Mara’s daughter has celiac disease and requires gluten-free foods, which are more expensive and often unavailable at food banks.
Mara experienced a disruption in SNAP benefits in November due to a government shutdown.
Key figures
Mara (last name withheld), single mother in Minnesota
Lauren Bauer, researcher at the Brookings Institution
Gina Plata-Nino, SNAP director at the Food Research & Action Center
President Trump (mentioned in context of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act)
Sources: NPR
