EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Millions of Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) did not receive benefits because of the government shutdown on Nov. 1, but many people are also set to lose benefits because of changes passed by Congress to who qualifies for SNAP work exemptions.

In Rhode Island, those changes will take effect on Feb. 1.

Rhode Island Department of Human Services Director Kimberly Merolla-Brito spoke with 12 News about the impacts of the shutdown and the upcoming rule changes.

"There's a lot of complexity to that system change to support a full implementation," Brito explained. "We pushed it out until February of 2026 so that we can start our outreach to the impacted populations in December."

People between the ages of 16 and 59 must f

See Full Page