Sponsors (45)
The bill preserves SNAP benefit continuity and school-meal access for vulnerable families during short funding gaps, at the cost of reducing Congress's immediate control over spending during lapses and adding potential budgetary and equity complications across programs.
Low-income individuals and families continue to receive SNAP benefits during the first 90 days of a federal funding lapse because emergency/reserved funds keep program operations running.
Children who rely on SNAP-linked supports can keep receiving school meals and other tied benefits without interruption during short funding gaps.
State program administrators gain administrative certainty because authorized reserved funds can be tapped to maintain SNAP operations during brief funding lapses.
Taxpayers may fund SNAP during a shutdown without a new appropriations vote, reducing congressional control and ordinary appropriations oversight during lapse periods.
Keeping SNAP funds available until expended could lock federal dollars across fiscal years, complicating future budget planning, oversight, and flexibility.
A 90-day automatic appropriation for SNAP during funding lapses could create uneven incentives and expectations compared with other discretionary programs that do not receive similar automatic coverage.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Appropriates “such sums as necessary” from the Treasury to keep SNAP and related nutrition programs operating for the first 90 days after a lapse in discretionary appropriations.
Introduced March 10, 2025 by Emilia Strong Sykes · Last progress March 10, 2025
Appropriates unspecified (“such sums as necessary”) funds from the Treasury to keep SNAP (the Food and Nutrition Act programs) operating for the first 90 days after a lapse in discretionary appropriations, with those funds held in reserve and released only as needed; funds remain available until expended. Applies for fiscal years beginning after September 30, 2024.