USDA revives Trump-era rule allowing SNAP bans for delinquent child support payers

The USDA has overturned a Biden policy, permitting states to cut SNAP benefits for parents who owe child support and lack primary custody.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture rescinded a Biden administration memo and reinstated a rule first adopted during the Trump administration that allows states to remove SNAP benefits from parents who do not have primary custody and are delinquent on child support. Officials estimate the policy could reduce federal outlays by more than $8 billion each year by eliminating benefits for roughly 3.8 million parents with support orders.

Alex Adams, assistant secretary for family support at HHS’s Administration for Children and Families, emphasized that the action is aimed at those who can meet their legal and moral obligations, not at families in genuine financial distress. Under the previous Biden guidance, most states were discouraged from using child-support status as a disqualification factor, with only Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi implementing any restrictions.

The USDA’s memo also notes that few SNAP recipients who are single parents actually receive full child-support payments. The change aligns with other enforcement measures, including the revocation of passports for non-custodial parents who fall behind on support obligations.