Congress is anticipating a battle over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as “food stamps”) during negotiations around the next food and farm bill. Republicans are trying to limit SNAP benefits, which help put food on the tables of one of every eight people in the United States—including many working households. Ironically, food workers tend to have the highest participation in SNAP among all workers, and many of them work for corporations that spend millions lobbying Congress (to the tune of $165 million in 2022) and paying executives.

The most recent discussion revolves around work requirements for SNAP users, an argument that resurfaces every now and then. SNAP already requires all adults to register for work, participate in job training, or work at least 30 hours a week (and has even stricter requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents). While almost one-third of SNAP recipients receive an earned income, more than two-thirds are not expected to work because they’re children, are living with a disability, or are older adults.

One in 10 workers in the United States live in a household that receives SNAP due to low wages, inconsistent work schedules, and no paid sick leave. National data show that among adult wage earners who are SNAP recipients, 70 percent worked full-time every week, and more than half worked the full, or nearly full, year. If companies are paying workers so little—or designing schedules that avoid the...

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