Trump Drops Plan to Force SNAP Recipients to Re-Apply: Some Beneficiaries Still Have to Do It

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reversed its controversial proposal to require the more than 41 million recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly known as “food stamps”) to submit a completely new application to continue receiving benefits.

Secretary Brooke Rollins had announced last week, in interviews on national media, that all SNAP beneficiaries would have to “reapply” in order to “rebuild” the program and combat alleged widespread fraud, citing preliminary data from 29 states showing hundreds of thousands of irregularities, including benefits paid to deceased individuals or duplicate payments.

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Not “every” SNAP recipient will be forced to reapply

However, USDA sources confirmed to Politico on Thursday that there will not be a mandatory mass re-application. Instead, the department will rely on existing state processes for periodic recertification, which verify household eligibility every six or twelve months through updates on income, family composition, and employment status.

“Standard SNAP household recertification processes are part of that work, along with ongoing analysis of state data, regulatory adjustments, and improved collaboration with the states,” a USDA spokesperson said.

Confusion among food stamps recipients

The reversal comes after a wave of criticism from anti-hunger organizations, Democrats, and governors of Democratic states, who accused Rollins of creating “unnecessary confusion” among vulnerable families still recovering from the 43-day government shutdown that temporarily defunded the program.

Groups like the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities pointed out that intentional fraud in SNAP is low—less than 1% according to federal audits—and that most errors are administrative or unintentional.

What is the difference between recertification and a full re-application?

Periodic recertification is the standard procedure: beneficiaries receive a pre-filled form with their current information and only need to update any changes (income, address, household members). In many states, this is done by phone, online, or by mail, and rarely requires an in-person interview. The process is quick and avoids interruptions in payments.

A full reapplication, on the other hand, requires starting from scratch: submitting original documents for identity, income, residency, medical expenses, and a mandatory interview. It can take up to 30 days to be approved, and during that time, benefits are suspended if it is not completed on time.

This more bureaucratic procedure is what Rollins initially seemed to be proposing to “clean up” the program, but it has now been discarded as a general measure.

In what cases is a full SNAP re-application still mandatory?

Although there won’t be a blanket federal mandate, the current SNAP regulations—strengthened by the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed by Trump in July 2025—maintain several scenarios in which submitting a completely new application from scratch is mandatory.

These cases primarily affect those who no longer meet the eligibility requirements or experience significant changes in their circumstances.

1. Expiration of the certification period without timely recertificationMost households must recertify every 6-12 months (up to 36 months for elderly or disabled individuals with fixed incomes). If recertification is not submitted by the deadline, benefits will be automatically cut off, and a new application must be submitted.
2. Failure to comply with the new expanded labor requirementsFrom November 2025, healthy adults aged 18 to 65 (previously up to 54) without dependents under 18 must demonstrate at least 80 hours of work, training, or volunteering per month. If they fail to do so for three months within a 36-month period, they automatically lose eligibility and can only regain it by submitting a new application after fulfilling 30 consecutive days of the work requirement or by waiting for the next three-year cycle.
3. Significant changes not reportedBeneficiaries must report any changes within 10 days, such as an increase in income exceeding 130% of the poverty line, interstate relocation, or the addition or removal of household members. If the state detects serious irregularities (e.g., duplicates or falsified information), it will close the case and require a complete reapplication with thorough verification.
4. Suspected fraud or administrative reviewThe USDA has intensified cross-referencing data with Social Security, death records, and state programs. In the 29 states that collaborated, 186,000 presumed deceased beneficiaries and 500,000 duplicates were detected. When a case is identified, payments are suspended, and the household must reapply with additional evidence. So far, the Trump administration has removed 700,000 people from the lists and arrested 118 for fraud.
5. New applicants or reopening after sanctionThose who have never received SNAP or lost benefits due to penalties (for example, for not cooperating with audits) always begin with a complete application. This also applies to non-citizen immigrants who, under the new law, only qualify if they are legal permanent residents who meet certain requirements.

Despite the setback in mass re-applications, the reforms passed in July cut $186 billion from SNAP through 2034, shift administrative costs to the states, and tighten employment requirements.

Organizations like Feeding America warn that, even without a general “paperwork frenzy,” thousands of vulnerable families—children, the elderly, and people with disabilities make up more than half of the beneficiaries—will continue to be dropped from the lists due to complex procedures or administrative errors.