COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – Georgia taxpayers could pay millions more for food assistance as new federal work requirements threaten to cut off benefits for some recipients after three months, according to local and state leaders.<\/p>\n
Nearly 8 in 10 SNAP households in Georgia include a child, a senior or someone with a disability, according to Feeding the Valley Food Bank.<\/p>\n
New work requirements target certain adults<\/p>\n
Under the new federal law, able-bodied adults without dependents, known as ABAWDs, must prove they are working or in training to keep their benefits.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a real concern when benefits that otherwise people have had in the past are not there,\u201d Feeding the Valley Food Bank\u2019s Frank Sheppard said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the target groups is what they call ABAWDs… so they\u2019re having to show work requirements or training to continue to receive benefits. If not, their benefits get cut… so it\u2019s a significant effect on a good part of the population,\u201d Sheppard said.<\/p>\n
Alabama already seeing a decline<\/p>\n
Sheppard said the ripple effect could extend beyond individual families. Alabama is already feeling it, according to state data, which shows SNAP participation dropped by more than 81,000 people, an 11% decline, since the new federal law took effect.<\/p>\n
\u201cSNAP provides 9 times the amount of benefits to Americans nationwide than food banks do, so any decrease in SNAP benefits does have a ripple effect on food banks… it\u2019s a magnified effect,\u201d Sheppard said.<\/p>\n
Impact on small businesses and children<\/p>\n
State Rep. Debbie Buckner said small businesses will also feel the effects.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt also hurts the merchant, because those are big consumers in the rural area, at the little grocery stores, and it\u2019s a lack of access,\u201d Buckner said.<\/p>\n
Buckner said the impact on children could be immediate and extend beyond the dinner table.<\/p>\n
\u201cChildren that are on SNAP, if that\u2019s taken away from their family, they will no longer be eligible for free and reduced lunch. That hurts them from morning to night,\u201d Buckner said.<\/p>\n
Georgia is now on the hook for $47 million in new SNAP administrative costs next fiscal year. Advocates say the ripple effect on the region is just beginning.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 WTVM. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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