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Anthony Bonner is facing looming uncertainty. A single dad living in Memphis, Tennessee, he fears he may soon no longer qualify for benefits through the  (SNAP)鈥攁id that can be used like cash to purchase groceries. 

Until now, Bonner has been able to receive SNAP aid for himself and his son regardless of whether he was working. New regulations, part of Donald Trump鈥檚 , are about to change that. 

Under the , parents with minor children   must work or volunteer at least 20 hours per week to receive SNAP. Bonner鈥檚 son, Braylon, turns 14 in late February. The typical 13-year-old boy, who plays the trumpet and enjoys basketball and Roblox, may soon be the only one in his two-person household to qualify for food aid.

As a self-employed barber, Bonner鈥檚 hours fluctuate, leaving him unsure whether he鈥檒l meet the 20-hour-a-week minimum. It鈥檚 a struggle acutely felt by single parents who are the sole earners in their household.

鈥淣obody should be worried about where the next meal is coming from,鈥� said Bonner, who is already anticipating changes to how he shops and how his family eats. 鈥淚 might have to really figure out how to stretch it,鈥� he added, referring to the limited funds he said he鈥檒l have for groceries.

With the new rules in place, around 2.4 million Americans could lose assistance within the next few years, according to estimates from the 

The new requirements fail to factor in people who don鈥檛 work in fields with consistent hours, said Ed Bolen of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research and policy institute.  鈥淚t can be a pretty harsh rule for people who work in jobs that don鈥檛 always have nice, solid, consistent 20 hours a week,鈥� he said. 

Leighton Ku, the director of the Center for Health Policy Research at George Washington University, told Prism, 鈥淭here鈥檚 this sort of presumption that people who are getting SNAP benefits are undeserving people, and that the way you show that you are deserving is that you work.鈥� 

It鈥檚 a perception familiar to Bonner.

鈥淚 get the sentiment that if you don鈥檛 work, you don鈥檛 eat. But our bodies need food. Our bodies need water, that鈥檚 a necessity,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hether a person works or not, people should be able to eat. Families should be able to eat.鈥�

In light of the new SNAP changes, Bonner recently took on a second job to boost his hours. As a community organizer for the nonprofit , he鈥檚 employed through a three-month pilot program. If his contract ends in March, he will likely no longer meet the SNAP work requirements.

Failure to meet new requirements for any three months in a three-year period will result in a loss of benefits for able-bodied adults without dependents under the age of 14.

About 1 in 8, or 41.7 million, Americans rely on SNAP, according to the latest figures from .

鈥淵ou鈥檙e taking the people who not only, in many cases, have the fewest skills and the most difficulty getting jobs, but who are probably the most reliant on food assistance, and you鈥檙e saying specifically you can鈥檛 get it,鈥� Ku said.

A  from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that among workers participating in SNAP, most have jobs with low wages. The study noted that low-paying jobs often have scheduling practices that contribute to workers鈥� unstable incomes.

Lauren Bauer, a fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization, said the documentation needed in order to prove the required work hours will also be a challenge for some. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a leap between being in compliance with this policy and proving that you are,鈥� Bauer said.

Bauer and Ku said that the SNAP program has long faced bureaucratic hurdles, with excessive paperwork and documentation often preventing people from accessing benefits even when they qualify.

Da鈥檍ion Lymore, a single father of a 6-year-old, knows this firsthand. After moving from Missouri to Georgia, he was forced to restart his SNAP application. As a self-employed multimedia specialist, verifying his income has been a challenge. Now, he鈥檚 stuck in limbo without any SNAP benefits, even though he technically qualifies.

As he waits for his benefits to come through, Lymore works hard to stretch every ingredient for his son. 

鈥淚 make sure I use everything,鈥� he said, 鈥渕aking sure he gets everything he needs, making sure he鈥檚 full with every meal. He鈥檚 a growing boy; some days it鈥檚 definitely surprising how much he eats.鈥�

Bonner had a message for lawmakers who voted to restrict benefits. 

鈥淟ook at your constituents. Really look at us. Stop looking at the numbers, look at the people,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he policy that you鈥檙e making is really hurting us.鈥�

Proponents of  for SNAP deny accusations of cruelty.  

鈥淭o me, work is not a punishment,鈥� said Angela Rachidi of the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning think tank. 鈥淚t鈥檚 sort of an expectation that we all have for ourselves and should have for the rest of society, if you鈥檙e able-bodied and don鈥檛 have caregiving responsibilities.鈥�

But a  from the Economic Policy Institute found that for low-income adults, the main barriers to work are economic conditions outside of their control, and that work requirements in the past have failed to boost work in significant ways. 

鈥淭hey have other barriers, like child care needs, and other problems in their lives that make it difficult to find work,鈥� Ku said. 

That argument doesn鈥檛 persuade Rachidi. 鈥淵ou could argue if high school-age kids even need caregiving,鈥� she said of the broadened work requirement for parents with children over the age of 14. 

Bonner is astonished by that assertion. 鈥淚t鈥檚 ridiculous to expect a child to be able to suffice by themselves,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f I left [my son] alone and said go ahead, go fend for yourself, he鈥檚 not gonna make it. No 14-year-old kid is prepared.鈥�

Rachidi predicted that tighter work requirements could expand to other safety net programs, such as housing assistance. 

Bonner, meanwhile, tries to talk to his son about how to best prepare for the uncertainty that lies ahead. 鈥淵ou may have to reach out and extend help to others,鈥� he tells Braylon, knowing that people in his community may be facing similar uncertainties. In Georgia, Lymore said his neighbors have come together through Facebook groups to organize a market stand where people can leave food for each other, such as fresh eggs, produce, and bread. 鈥淭he community definitely helps each other out in this time of need,鈥� he said, filling the gaps the government no longer meets.

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