America Works Act of 2025
America Works Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# America Works Act of 2025 - Summary **What the Bill Would Do:** The America Works Act would tighten work requirements for people receiving SNAP (food assistance). Specifically, it would require able-bodied adults without dependents to work or participate in job training to keep their benefits. The bill raises the age limit for these requirements from 55 to 65 years old and narrows exemptions that currently allow people to skip work requirements. **Key Changes and Who's Affected:** The bill would eliminate work requirement exemptions for homeless individuals, veterans, and young people who aged out of foster care (ages 18-24). It would also restrict the exemption for parents caring for young children—only parents caring for children under age 7 would qualify, down from the current age 18.
This primarily affects low-income adults receiving food assistance, including some vulnerable populations like homeless individuals and veterans. **Current Status:** The bill is currently in committee (HR 1528), meaning it's being reviewed but hasn't moved forward for a vote yet. It was introduced by a Republican representative from South Dakota. The bill represents a push to expand work-related requirements for government assistance programs.
CRS Official Summary
America Works Act of 2025This bill expands the applicability of work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients who are able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs). As background, these SNAP recipients have work-related requirements in addition to the general SNAP work registration and employment and training requirements.Specifically, the bill amends the exemptions to this requirement.First, the bill applies the work requirements for ABAWDs to adults who are not over 65 years old, whereas these requirements currently apply to adults who are not over 55 years old.Second, the ABAWD exemption for a parent or household member with responsibility for a dependent child is restricted to a dependent child under the age of seven. Currently, the child must be under the age of 18.Third, the bill repeals the ABAWD exemptions for homeless individuals, veterans, and certain foster care individuals (those who are 24 years old or younger and were in foster care on the date of attaining 18 years of age or a higher age).In addition, under current law, an ABAWD waiver program allows state exemptions based on an area having an unemployment rate of over 10% or an insufficient number of jobs. The bill amends the exemption to require the unemployment rate to be based on the rate for the county, instead of the area. Further, the bill repeals the provision that allows a state exemption if that area does not have a sufficient number of jobs.
Latest Action
Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.