SNAP Time Limit for ABAWDs and Asset/Income Eligibility Restrictions

← Back to Category — Social Justice

Make Food Assistance Easier to Get

AKA “Cut Red Tape So Working Families Can Eat”


Which agency/agencies promulgated the regulation? *
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)
Which title, parts, and/or sections of the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) should be rescinded? *
• 7 CFR § 273.24 — Time limit for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) • 7 CFR § 273.2(j)(2) — Resource test and categorical eligibility restrictions • 7 CFR § 273.10(e)(2)(ii)(A) — Income averaging rules that reduce seasonal worker eligibility
What is your name?
—OPTIONAL--
Is your proposed rescission a notice of proposed rulemaking, final rule, direct final rule, interim final rule, or interpretive rule? *
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
What is the name of the regulation being rescinded, if applicable? *
SNAP Time Limit for ABAWDs and Asset/Income Eligibility Restrictions
Please provide a short summary of the justifications for the rescission. *
USDA regulations impose arbitrary barriers that exclude millions of eligible people from SNAP. The ABAWD time limit rule denies benefits to adults without dependents after just 3 months if they can't meet rigid work reporting rules—regardless of job availability. The categorical eligibility rule disqualifies households with modest savings. Seasonal workers are penalized by income averaging rules that misrepresent their actual need. Rescinding these restrictions would remove bureaucratic red tape and restore food access to those the law was designed to protect.
Please insert the address of the agency. [NPRM, DFR, and IFR only]
U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service 1320 Braddock Place Alexandria, VA 22314
Please insert the contact information for the agency. *
USDA FNS Headquarters: (703) 305-2062 Email: fnscommunications@usda.gov
What is the background for the regulation being rescinded? *
Congress created SNAP to prevent hunger and ensure food security. Over time, USDA imposed administrative barriers that go beyond the law's intent—limiting access for able-bodied adults, disqualifying families for having modest assets, and penalizing variable-income workers. These restrictions were expanded in the 1996 welfare reform era and again during the Trump administration. They disproportionately harm low-wage workers, students, rural residents, and people of color. Many states seek waivers, but are burdened by inflexible federal regulations.
Explain the reasons for the rescission. *
These regulatory provisions undermine the purpose of SNAP by creating technical disqualifiers that deny food aid to people in need. The ABAWD time limits do not account for local job conditions, health disparities, or structural barriers to employment. The resource test punishes financial prudence. Income averaging misrepresents the eligibility of seasonal and gig workers. These are not anti-fraud tools—they are compliance hurdles designed to reduce enrollment. Rescinding them would expand food access, reduce administrative burden, and uphold the intent of the program.
Describe the text of the relevant C.F.R. provisions as it will exist after the rescission. *
• Delete § 273.24 in full, ending the 3-month ABAWD time limit and work requirement tracking • Delete § 273.2(j)(2) language that imposes asset test restrictions beyond statutory minimums • Revise § 273.10(e)(2)(ii)(A) to require monthly income assessments for seasonal/gig workers, rather than annualized averaging
Please insert the name of the current agency head. *
Brooke Rollins
Please insert the title of the agency head. *
Secretary of Agriculture

← Back to Category — Social Welfare