Do Work Requirements in Safety Net Programs Work?

Twenty-four House Republicans proposed a bill to strengthen work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) last week, continuing a long-running debate over work requirements in safety net programs. In recent years, we have seen a lot of back-and-forth on work requirement policies. For example, President Donald Trump’s administration expanded work requirements in SNAP and Medicaid, only to have the pandemic, the courts, and President Joe Biden’s administration disrupt and eventually end those policies. But work requirements remain a popular policy among conservatives, inviting the question: Do work requirements work?