Sponsors (8)
Official title: Eliminate asset limits employed by certain federally funded means-tested public assistance programs, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 30, 2026 by Christopher A. Coons · Last progress July 30, 2026
The bill increases access to and stability of multiple safety-net programs and lets beneficiaries keep more savings (improving financial security and simplifying rules) at the cost of higher near-term program spending, state implementation burdens, and potential short-term geographic and administrative disparities.
Low-income households (families, renters, seniors, and people with disabilities) will be able to retain more savings and property and keep or gain eligibility for TANF, SNAP, LIHEAP and SSI because asset/resource limits are removed or raised.
Applicants and state agencies will face simpler eligibility rules and less paperwork, speeding access to benefits and reducing administrative burden for SNAP, TANF, LIHEAP and related programs.
Low-income families and recipients can build and preserve modest savings and are encouraged to use mainstream banking rather than informal cash storage, improving households' financial stability.
Taxpayers and federal/state budgets may face higher program costs because removing or raising asset/resource limits can increase caseloads and benefit payments across TANF, SNAP, LIHEAP and SSI.
States will incur administrative and legislative costs to change laws, update eligibility systems, and train staff, creating short-term implementation expenses and burdens on agencies.
Removing asset tests increases the need for alternative verification, monitoring, and program integrity measures, which could raise administrative complexity and ongoing agency workload.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Eliminates asset/resource tests for TANF, SNAP, and LIHEAP eligibility, and raises SSI resource limits to $10,000 (indexed after 2026).
Removes asset and resource tests from major means-tested benefit programs so savings and other modest resources no longer bar families from receiving assistance. Changes apply to TANF, SNAP, LIHEAP, and related administrative rules, and raises the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) resource limit to $10,000 (effective Jan 1, 2026) with annual inflation indexing. States that need to change their own laws get a delayed compliance timeline tied to the close of their next legislative session. Most other amendments take effect for benefit months starting 30 days after enactment unless a different effective date is specified.