Sponsors (2)
The bill increases and targets federal support to expand produce-prescription incentives—especially for high-poverty areas and clinics—improving access to healthy food for low-income and chronically ill patients, while adding federal spending and imposing design constraints (spend rules and scale/eligibility limits) that may limit participation and administrative flexibility.
Low-income SNAP participants in persistent high-poverty counties can receive larger or fully federally funded produce incentives because the Secretary can waive the usual 50% state cost-share.
Patients with chronic conditions and participating clinics/community partners gain more predictable, sustained support through dedicated pilot and expansion produce-prescription grants with set award ranges.
Statewide incentive programs, independent retailers, and farmers markets receive larger, multi-year cooperative agreements (≥4 years) and increased funding to help scale programs and enable redemption infrastructure.
Taxpayers face increased federal spending (about $57.5 million per year authorized), which could add to budgetary pressures or require spending offsets elsewhere.
The requirement that 90% of cooperative-agreement funds be spent on redeemed incentives by the agreement end may restrict necessary administrative, evaluation, and infrastructure spending, undermining program delivery and scalability.
High minimum scale requirements for expansion grants (e.g., cohorts ≥300 and ≥12-month interventions) may exclude or disadvantage smaller community clinics and rural providers that cannot meet those thresholds.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced February 13, 2026 by Rick Crawford · Last progress February 13, 2026
Allows USDA to expand and change the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) by letting the agency waive the usual 50% federal cost‑share for projects in long‑term high‑poverty areas, authorizing multiyear cooperative agreements to scale statewide incentive programs, and creating distinct pilot and expansion grant tracks for produce‑prescription projects with set award ranges and minimums. The bill adds new, multi‑year authorized funding levels, requires a study on shifting produce‑prescription payments into health insurance within 10 years, and sets timelines for an application review panel and reporting requirements.