US Restores Rule Denying SNAP to Parents Who Skip Child Support

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has rescinded a Biden‑era guidance and reinstated a Trump‑administration rule that allows states to deny Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to parents who are delinquent on child‑support payments. The change is projected to save the federal government more than $8 billion annually by cutting SNAP benefits for non‑paying parents.

SNAP currently serves about 42 million Americans, including roughly 3.8 million parents with formal child‑support orders. The policy shift follows earlier limited adoption of the rule in Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi. Alex Adams, assistant secretary for family support at the Department of Health and Human Services, emphasized that the aim is to encourage compliance with legal and moral responsibilities rather than punish families in genuine need.