Sponsors (3)
The bill increases parity and formal accountability by subjecting Members of Congress to regular work/engagement certifications, but does so by creating legal and political risks, administrative costs, and the potential to condition federal health benefits on disputed program rules.
Members of Congress would be held to the same community‑engagement and SNAP work standards referenced in the bill, promoting parity between lawmakers and some low‑income program requirements.
Members would need to certify monthly compliance with those engagement/work standards, which could increase public accountability by creating a regular, auditable verification step tied to benefits.
Tying certification to federal employee health benefits risks politicizing eligibility for FEHB and other benefits, creating precedent for using benefit access as a policy lever.
Applying SNAP and Medicaid 'work' and engagement rules to Members in a way those programs do not apply broadly could create unequal or legally vulnerable treatment of lawmakers.
Requires OPM to collect, verify, and track monthly certifications for Members, imposing additional administrative workload and costs on the agency and thus on taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Conditions Members of Congress' FEHB enrollment on monthly written certifications that they met Medicaid community engagement and SNAP work requirements.
Prohibits a Member of Congress from enrolling in any Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) plan for any month on or after enactment unless the Member submits two monthly written certifications to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM): that the Member met Medicaid-style community engagement requirements for that month, and that the Member complied with SNAP work requirements as if they were a SNAP household participant. It also includes a short-title provision. If enacted, Members would need to provide these monthly certifications to OPM before gaining or keeping FEHB coverage for that month; failure to certify would bar FEHB enrollment for that month.
Introduced July 17, 2025 by S. Raja Krishnamoorthi · Last progress July 17, 2025