How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act puts disabled Americans at risk of food insecurity

By Kaylie Foster

More than 12% of Americans receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. People with disabilities rely on SNAP to keep food affordable despite high healthcare costs and low income. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (OBBBA) threatens the availability of SNAP, putting millions of Americans with disabilities at risk of losing access to food.

What is SNAP?

SNAP is a federal program that assists low-income families – usually with children, elderly adults, or individuals with disabilities – with the cost of food. Americans can apply for SNAP online or in a SNAP office and must provide proof of income, immigration status, and household composition to be considered. Eligible Americans receive an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card from the federal government, also known as food stamps [1].

Monthly EBT benefits can be used at any of 261,000 retailers across the country to pay for fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products, and breads [1]. EBT cards can be used beyond the grocery store to receive free or discounted museum tickets, gym memberships, public transit, education, and phone and internet services [2].

SNAP helps over 40 million Americans with the cost of food per month. Roughly 18% of SNAP households have at least one non-elderly person living with a disability [3]. In 2023, 7 million SNAP-receiving households that included individuals under 65 years old received disability benefits or self-reported having a disability [5].

How does SNAP benefit people with disabilities?

Due to high costs of healthcare and limitations on work abilities, people with disabilities are twice as likely to live below the poverty line as non-disabled Americans. Economic hardships can lead to food and housing insecurity, which can worsen health conditions of disabled Americans [4].

SNAP provides sustenance for people with low income, which can be especially helpful for people with disabilities and their families. People with disabilities can be excused from the hourly work requirements associated with SNAP, especially if they have high revolving medical costs. Those whose disabilities prevent them from working are considered for work requirement exemptions [4].

Many people with disabilities and their families do work, even though hours may be limited.  Families who may have to decrease their working hours to help care for a loved one with a disability can rely on SNAP for food [4].

By making food affordable, SNAP brings peace of mind to people with disabilities and their families, allowing them to focus their earnings on healthcare and living expenses [4].

How will cuts enshrined in the OBBBA hurt people with disabilities who use SNAP?

The OBBBA boasts cuts to federal spending, leaving the costs of many social assistance programs a burden on the states. In the case of SNAP, between 5 and 25% of the required funding for SNAP will be left to the states to provide. If a state cannot raise these funds by making other cuts or drafting new taxes, SNAP programs will have to be minimized or cut on a state-by-state basis [5].

Additionally, work requirements to qualify for SNAP will increase. SNAP currently requires adults aged 54 and under to provide proof of working at least 20 hours a week to qualify or to file an exemption, which can often be a lengthy process. If the documentation requirements are not met, individuals are limited to three months of benefits for every three years [5].

The OBBBA extends the work requirement to adults aged 55-65, putting those with disabilities at higher risk of losing assistance, especially considering the likelihood of disability worsening with age. Over 3 million people are expected to lose access to SNAP due to the increased work requirement, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities [5].

Changes were also made to the Thrifty Food Plan, used to determine the dollar amount of benefits provided to SNAP users. Benefits can now only be adjusted due to inflation, not any other factors that may lead to rising food costs. Without the ability to adjust benefits based on the cost of food, benefit holders may lose access due to price fluctuation [6].

To read more about how OBBBA will impact people with disabilities, click here or here.

Sources

[1] CBPP. (2024, November 5). Policy Basics: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap

[2] Lai, J. (2025, June 5). A full list of everything you can get for free with EBT. Propel. https://www.propel.app/snap/full-list-of-everything-you-get-for-free-with-snap/#:~:text=and%20subscription%20services-,Table%20of%20contents,to%20SNAP%2C%20and%20benefits%20news

[3] U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Evidence, Analysis, and Regulatory Affairs Office. (2025, May 2). Characteristics of snap households: Fiscal year 2023. Food and Nutrition Service U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.fns.usda.gov/research/snap/characteristics-fy23#:~:text=SNAP%20supports%20children%2C%20the%20elderly,100%25%20of%20the%20poverty%20level

[4] Carlson, S., Keith-Jennings, B., & Chaudhry, R. (2017, June 14). SNAP provides needed food assistance to millions of people with disabilities | center on budget and policy priorities. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. https://www.cbpp.org/research/snap-provides-needed-food-assistance-to-millions-of-people-with-disabilities

[5] CBPP. (2025, June 9). 2025 budget impacts: House bill would cut assistance ... Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/2025-budget-impacts-house-bill-would-cut-assistance-and-raise-costs-for-1

[6] Goldman, R. (2025, July 25). What is the “one big beautiful bill” and its impact? | league of women voters. League of Women Voters. https://www.lwv.org/blog/what-one-big-beautiful-bill-and-its-impact