¶ Overview
Vivek Ramaswamy supported imposing work requirements for all public assistance programs. He also decried “overpayments” to SNAP recipients and called to eliminate alleged “fraud and waste” in SNAP. No Kid Hungry warned that new work requirements for SNAP recipients would increase hunger and threaten access to food for families in need. According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, nearly 1.4 million Ohioans relied on SNAP to afford groceries.
¶ Vivek Ramaswamy Supported Imposing Work Requirements That Threatened Food Assistance For Nearly 1.4 Million Ohioans
¶ Vivek Ramaswamy Supported Imposing Work Requirements For All Public Assistance Programs And Called To Eliminate Alleged “Fraud And Waste” In SNAP
2025: Ramaswamy Called For Imposing Work Requirements For All Public Assistance Programs. According to Ramaswamy’s Twitter, “We will reattach work requirements to Medicaid & welfare. The way we’ll save our citizens isn’t through greater dependence on the government, but independence from it.”
[Twitter, @VivekGRamaswamy, 3/1/25]
2024: Ramaswamy Decried “Overpayments” To SNAP Recipients And Called To Eliminate Alleged “Waste And Fraud” In SNAP. According to Ramaswamy’s Twitter, “~$1BN is wasted *every month* on ineligible SNAP (food stamp) benefits. Overpayments occur when states allow recipients to continue receiving benefits despite incomes that should disqualify them. Other times, fraudsters collect benefits from multiple states due to lack of coordination. Eliminating waste & fraud in SNAP would save billions annually. This isn’t (or at least shouldn’t be) a partisan point.”
[Twitter, @VivekGRamaswamy, 12/8/24]
¶ No Kid Hungry Warned New Work Requirements On SNAP Recipients Would Threaten Access To Food
No Kid Hungry: New Work Requirements On SNAP Recipients Would Threaten The Access To Food For Families In Need As They Faced Increasing Food Costs And Higher Inflation And Would Likely Increase Hunger. According to No Kid Hungry, “SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is one of the nation’s most effective tools in the fight against hunger, supporting more than 40 million Americans, including 1 in 5 children, in affording nutritious food. This is particularly vital as families face rising food prices and higher inflation-related costs in housing and transportation. However, recent proposals to impose new work requirements on SNAP participants threaten to make it even harder for families to access this crucial support. […] A good job is one of the best pathways out of poverty. Unfortunately, work restriction policies do nothing to make it easier for people to secure employment. Instead, they serve to limit access to SNAP and increase hunger. In fact, research shows that work requirements do little to help people get jobs and don’t increase the number of people working.” [No Kid Hungry, 3/14/25]
¶ Nearly 1.4 Million Ohioans Relied On Food Assistance
Ohio Department Of Job And Family Services: In 2025, Nearly 1.4 Million Ohioans Received Food Assistance. According to Spectrum News 1, “Roughly 1.4 million Ohioans receive food assistance, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.” [Spectrum News 1, 9/10/25]
2024: Across Ohio, 571,631 Households Relied On SNAP.
[U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP Community Characteristics, Accessed 3/25/26]