USVI Braces for Deep SNAP Cuts Under New Federal Law as Local Budgets Face Mounting Pressure
As the Big Beautiful Bill cuts $186 billion from SNAP, Virgin Islands officials warn that new work rules and cost-sharing mandates could force the cash-strapped territory to reduce aid or face deepening food insecurity for over 15,000 residents.
2025-07-10 13:59:20 - VI News Staff
The U.S. Virgin Islands is bracing for a seismic shift in food assistance as the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, ushers in major SNAP cuts and stricter eligibility rules.
The law – branded the “Big Beautiful Bill” by supporters – slashes federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by an estimated $186 billion through 2034, the largest reduction in the program’s history. It extends work requirements and shifts more costs onto local governments, changes that officials fear will hit the cash-strapped Virgin Islands particularly hard.
Under the new law, able-bodied adults ages 18 to 64 must prove they are working at least 80 hours per month (about 20 hours a week) or enrolled in training to keep receiving SNAP. Previously, work mandates applied only up to age 54. Now, millions of older adults and parents of teenagers will have to meet the requirements as well. Critically, recent exemptions for certain vulnerable groups have been eliminated – veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and young adults aging out of foster care will no longer be automatically exempt from SNAP’s work rules.
“Those now at risk of losing work exemptions include [the] unhoused, veterans and youth who have aged out of foster care,” Illinois officials warned as they assessed the law’s impact.