Sponsors (5)
The bill increases and modernizes SNAP benefits and access—particularly helping small households, seniors, disabled people, and those with high housing costs—at the expense of higher federal costs, potential state-to-state variation, and near-term administrative adjustments.
Low-income households (especially small households) will receive larger SNAP allotments and greater purchasing power because benefits are indexed to a new low-cost food plan, updated annually to June prices, and the minimum allotment for 1- and 2-person households is raised.
Low-income seniors and people with disabilities — and households with high housing costs — will get bigger net SNAP benefits because of a standardized medical deduction (adjusted for Medical CPI) and removal of the excess shelter expense cap.
Individuals previously disqualified by SNAP time limits regain eligibility and access to food benefits, expanding coverage for people who had been barred.
Raising benefit formulas, expanding deductions, removing the shelter cap, and restoring eligibility will increase federal SNAP spending, which may lead to higher taxes or require reallocations of other federal funds.
Allowing states discretion over a larger standard deduction risks producing inconsistent benefit levels across states, so similar households could receive different SNAP assistance depending on where they live.
State and local agencies will face administrative burden and short-term costs to update rules, IT systems, forms, and processes to reflect renumbering, removed references, and new deduction/eligibility rules.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Replaces the SNAP benefit basis with a statutory 'low-cost food plan,' raises the minimum allotment factor, reforms medical deductions, removes a shelter cap, and eliminates a SNAP time-limit disqualification.
Official title: To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require that supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits be calculated using the value of the low-cost food plan, and for other purposes.
Introduced September 4, 2025 by Alma Adams · Last progress September 4, 2025
Replaces SNAP’s current benefit basis (the “thrifty food plan”) with a newly defined “low-cost food plan,” changes the timing and method for annual adjustments, raises the minimum allotment factor, and requires periodic Secretary reevaluation. It also changes how medical deductions for elderly and disabled SNAP members are handled, removes the cap on excess shelter expenses, and eliminates a statutory time-limit disqualification for SNAP eligibility, updating many cross-references and related formulas. The bill makes formula and administrative changes that generally increase benefit amounts and expand eligibility protections, and it includes a one-time $35 million addition to a food commodity sum previously enacted for FY2023.