Sponsors (2)
The bill directs sustained federal funding to expand nutrition incentive programs and produce-prescription research—improving direct access to healthy food for low-income communities—while concentrating resources toward point-of-sale incentives and established grantees, which raises federal costs and may limit participation by smaller or newer community organizations and flexible supportive services.
Low-income SNAP participants in persistently poor counties/tracts will get greater access to fruits and vegetables because more federal funds are directed to nutrition incentive redemptions at point of sale.
The bill provides sustained federal appropriations for GusNIP activities ($57.5M FY2027–2031; $56M FY2032+), enabling continuity and scaling of incentive programs nationwide.
Multiyear cooperative agreements (minimum 4 years) and prioritization of diverse retailers support program scaling and increase redemptions at independent stores and farmers markets, benefiting small retailers and participant access locally.
Taxpayers may face increased federal spending and longer-term budget commitments because the bill expands federal funding for nutrition incentive activities in persistently poor areas.
Program design favors previously funded and better-resourced organizations (through limits on eligible cooperative-agreement recipients and large minimum grant sizes), risking exclusion of smaller community groups and new innovators.
The requirement that at least 90% of agreement funds be spent on redeemed incentives could constrain funding available for outreach, administrative support, training, or other supportive services needed to enroll and sustain participants.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows USDA to waive the 50% federal cost-share in persistently poor areas, creates multiyear cooperative agreements to scale incentives, and requires a pilot evaluation of outcomes.
Introduced February 13, 2026 by Rick Crawford · Last progress February 13, 2026
Amends the federal GusNIP nutrition incentives program to let USDA waive the normal 50% federal cost-share for activities in persistently poor counties and census tracts, and to expand and scale incentive programs through multi-year cooperative agreements with previously funded entities and State SNAP partners. It also directs USDA to run a pilot grant program to test and evaluate the effects of incentive projects on fruit and vegetable consumption and related outcomes (note: the provided text cuts off mid-list of outcomes).