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Trump administration's push to impose SNAP work requirements, junk food bans, and freeze federal social spending over Democratic governor objections
Vice President JD Vance on May 19 said he is extending a federal Medicaid-fraud crackdown to his home state of Ohio, setting off political maneuvering among Ohio Republicans including governor nominee Vivek Ramaswamy. The move followed a…
3 MIN READAgriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins attributed a nearly 4.3 million person drop in SNAP participation to reduced fraud and economic improvement, but experts and congressional data point to legislative eligibility changes as the primary…
3 MIN READThe Agriculture Department said this month that fraud controls and a stronger economy helped drive a nearly 4.3 million drop in SNAP participation from January 2025 to January 2026. In an Associated Press fact check, experts said fraud is…
3 MIN READVice President JD Vance met Friday with a new anti-fraud task force he is leading, as the Trump administration seeks to show it is cracking down on misuse of federal benefit programs. Speaking ahead of a closed-door meeting in Washington,…
3 MIN READA federal judge in San Francisco said Friday she will rule that the U.S. government cannot force states to provide detailed data on people who apply for or receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. U.S. District Judge…
3 MIN READA federal judge extended a temporary order blocking the Trump administration from withholding child care and other social service funds from five Democratic-controlled states. The order keeps federal money moving for at least two more…
3 MIN READCalifornia has reported a significant decline in electronic benefits card theft, with Gov. Gavin Newsom crediting the state's rollout of anti-fraud technology. The announcement comes as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on…
3 MIN READThe Trump administration has told California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York that it is restricting some social safety net funding used for programs including child care subsidies, cash assistance and job training. The states…
3 MIN READThe Trump administration has told five Democratic-led states that it is restricting some social safety net funds that cover services including child care subsidies, cash assistance and job training. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian on…
4 MIN READThe Trump administration has told California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York that it is restricting certain federal social-safety-net funds tied to child care, cash assistance and job training, according to the Department of…
3 MIN READState legislatures and governors are set to make major budget and policy decisions in 2026 after President Donald Trump signed a sweeping federal law that shifts more responsibilities to the states. The changes will affect Medicaid, the…
3 MIN READAttorneys general in five Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration, seeking to stop a freeze on billions in social safety-net funding. The states argue the White House action improperly…
3 MIN READA federal judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration cannot block federal money for child care subsidies and other programs for five Democratic-led states for now. The states—California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New…
3 MIN READNebraska will become the first state to get a federal waiver allowing it to bar the purchase of soda and energy drinks with SNAP benefits, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday. The change, announced by Agriculture Secretary…
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Starting Thursday, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah and West Virginia will begin SNAP restrictions that limit what recipients can buy, affecting soda, candy and other items. The changes follow waivers sought by the incoming administration as…
3 MIN READMinnesota officials said the state has until Jan. 9 to provide documents to the U.S. government as part of a child care fraud review tied to federal funds being frozen by the Trump administration. The state said inspectors recently found…
3 MIN READStarting Thursday, people using SNAP benefits in five states will face new restrictions on buying soda, candy and certain other foods as waivers take effect. Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah and West Virginia are the first states to implement…
3 MIN READU.S. officials including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Brooke Rollins have signaled support for restricting items such as sugary drinks and candy from SNAP, the program that helps low-income families buy food. But previous attempts to narrow…
3 MIN READStarting Thursday, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah and West Virginia will apply new SNAP waivers that restrict what food shoppers can buy with federal benefits, banning certain items such as soda and candy. The changes come as the Trump…
3 MIN READNebraska will become the first state to ban the purchase of soda and energy drinks with SNAP benefits under a federal waiver announced Monday by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. The USDA said the change would affect about 152,000…
3 MIN READRobert F. Kennedy Jr., the newly confirmed health and human services secretary, and Brooke Rollins, the agriculture secretary, have signaled they want to restrict purchases of sugary drinks, candy and other so-called junk foods with SNAP,…
3 MIN READTrump administration officials have signaled interest in limiting items such as sugary drinks and candy in the federal SNAP program, which helps low-income families pay for food. Newly confirmed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert…
4 MIN READThe Trump administration said it plans to tighten federal rules for child care funding, including delaying payments to states and requiring additional verification. The changes come as it freezes child care funds for Minnesota and faces…
3 MIN READThe number fell.
James Freeman sells a donor-class tax shift as a populist crusade. His May 28 Wall Street Journal column, “Throw Momma from the Gravy Train,” converts a demand to kill property tax relief for senior citizens into a growth gospel sermon, laundering a regressive hit on the elderly through the language of broad-based fairness and the borrowed glow of a socialist city council race. The following excerpt-by-excerpt autopsy shows how a business columnist constructs a permission slip for cutting the taxes of the asset-rich while making the move look like a brave stand against special interests. We built versions of this exact playbook for the Journal's page for years.
The Trump administration has frozen federal child care funding for Illinois and other states while it conducts a fraud-related review, raising concerns among providers and parents that payments could be delayed or disrupted. In Illinois, Breyanna Rodriguez said the loss of assistance would force her to drop out of work and community college classes as she prepares for nursing school. The review follows a crackdown on the $12 billion Child Care and Development Fund, which helps subsidize care for 1.4 million children from low-income households.
The Trump administration said it is freezing child care funds to Minnesota and demanding audits of some day care centers after allegations of fraud tied to federal programs. Deputy Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill said the move responds to “blatant fraud that appears to be rampant in Minnesota and across the country.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz disputed the rationale, saying the action is part of “Trump’s long game.”
Americans in Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah and West Virginia will face new SNAP rules starting Jan. 1 that bar the use of benefits to buy certain items including soda and candy, the Agriculture Department said. The waivers are part of a broader federal push aimed at reducing chronic diseases tied to diet, though health and retail experts warned the changes could be difficult to implement and may not improve health outcomes.
Work requirements for low-income people receiving federal benefits would expand under a Trump administration priority that drew sharp criticism from economists and policy experts. The rules would affect adults receiving SNAP food assistance, certain Medicaid enrollees beginning in 2027, and potentially tenants using public housing and Housing Choice Vouchers if HUD adopts a proposed rule.
President Donald Trump’s administration made work requirements for people receiving public benefits a priority, with changes reaching SNAP, Medicaid and HUD-subsidized housing. An Associated Press review of the policy shifts describes how new or expanded work rules—aimed at able-bodied adults without dependents—could force millions to document employment, job training, volunteering or other activity to keep benefits. Economists and policy experts cited by AP said the evidence for broader labor-market effects is mixed, while critics warn the rules could reduce access and increase administrative burdens.
