SNAP participation fell from 42.8 million to 38.6 million between January 2025 and January 2026. Most of the drop came after the federal budget law (H.R. 1) expanded work requirements in July 2025. IFNHP Director Kate Bauer, Professor of Nutritional Sciences at the U-M School of Public Health, said that many families cannot work their way out of poverty even in a strong economy. She also said that requiring 80 hours of work a month is unrealistic where suitable jobs are not available.