Research Archive

January 21, 2025

President Trump’s USDA Should Fix Food Stamp Work Requirement Waivers

As President Donald Trump begins his second term, he and his administration will be exploring ways to improve government efficiency and economic outcomes for low-income Americans. One such policy—a 2019 regulation governing states’ use of waivers to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s (SNAP) work requirement—does just that. Although the regulation was never implemented after being…

By Richard Burkhauser | Kevin Corinth | Thomas O'Rourke | Angela Rachidi

January 17, 2025

Reforming Work Requirement Waivers in SNAP

By Richard V. Burkhauser | Kevin Corinth | Thomas O'Rourke | Angela Rachidi

December 30, 2024

Coverage, Counter-cyclicality and Targeting of Work Requirement Waivers in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Abstract Non-disabled, working age adults without children are required to work 20 hours per week in order to maintain eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. However, states may waive the work requirement for areas that meet conditions reflective of a weak labor market. We construct a dataset with the waiver status of each United…

By Richard V. Burkhauser | Kevin Corinth | Thomas O'Rourke | Angela Rachidi

December 17, 2024

Letter to the Department of Government Efficiency on Possible Reforms to the US Welfare System



By Matt Weidinger | Angela Rachidi

December 5, 2024

SNAP and the “Make America Healthy Again” Agenda

President Trump has committed to “Make America Healthy Again.” Part of the solution will involve addressing issues within the federal government’s nutrition assistance programs. His nominees to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will play a pivotal role in advancing this agenda. Nearly six in 10 Americans…

By Angela Rachidi

October 30, 2024

A SNAP Reform Framework Focused on the Future

No matter the outcome of next week’s election, we can be certain that the new President and Congress will confront urgent policy and legislative challenges. One priority issue for the new Congress will be renewing the Farm Bill. True to its name, the Farm Bill authorizes a wide range of programs to support farmers and…

By Angela Rachidi

October 30, 2024

A Reform Framework for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Key Points

By Angela Rachidi | Leslie Ford

October 23, 2024

Work Requirement Waivers Increased FoodShare Caseloads and Costs in Wisconsin

Employment plays a crucial role in helping families escape poverty and move up the income ladder. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, created through welfare reform in 1996, showed that linking government assistance to work could increase employment and decrease poverty among single-mother families. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps,…

By Angela Rachidi

September 27, 2024

Food Insecurity Increases Driven by Middle- and High-Income Households

Last month, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released their annual report detailing the prevalence of food insecurity in the United States. The report found that 13.5 percent of all US households are food insecure, or, in plain language, have “limited or uncertain access to adequate food”—a significant increase from the year prior. Just a…

By Angela Rachidi | Thomas O'Rourke

September 24, 2024

Household Food Insecurity Rises Again – Inflation, especially for households ineligible for safety net programs, to blame

Each year the USDA issues a closely-followed report on the extent of food insecurity in the United States. This year, the USDA reported 13.5 percent of US households were food insecure at some point in 2023, which was a statistically significant increase from the 2022 rate of 12.8 percent and higher than the pre-pandemic rate…

By Angela Rachidi | Craig Gundersen