Sponsors (8)
The bill increases SNAP access and benefit stability for people in training, rehabilitation, and refugee programs by excluding certain program payments from countable income and giving agencies flexibility, but it raises legal and administrative uncertainty, could remove existing statutory protections for some households, and will likely increase costs and shift fiscal burdens.
Low-income households — including parents, students, and participants in training or rehabilitation programs — will see higher SNAP eligibility and larger benefit amounts because certain training, vocational rehabilitation, and refugee program payments are excluded from countable income.
Refugees and recent immigrants in accredited employment or resettlement programs are less likely to lose SNAP or have benefits reduced when they receive program payments, reducing benefit cliffs for these groups.
Participants in vocational rehabilitation and workforce-training programs face lower financial disincentives to enroll because program payments will not reduce SNAP eligibility or benefit amounts.
Some low-income households and families could lose protections or benefits if the repeal of subsection (l) removes an existing statutory entitlement or safeguard.
Removing a statutory provision creates legal uncertainty while the USDA issues guidance, which could delay benefits or change case outcomes for beneficiaries and complicate state administration.
Excluding certain program payments from countable income will likely increase SNAP program costs, raising federal spending or requiring budget offsets elsewhere.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Deletes an existing SNAP statutory subsection and excludes payments tied to certain training, vocational rehab, and refugee employment programs from counted SNAP household income.
Introduced April 21, 2025 by Adriano J. Espaillat · Last progress April 21, 2025
Removes an existing subsection of the SNAP eligibility statute and changes how household income is counted for SNAP by excluding payments, allowances, and earnings tied to certain training, employment, vocational rehabilitation, and refugee employment programs. The bill explicitly adds a new income exclusion so money received for participating in approved training, vocational rehab, or refugee employment programs does not count as household income when determining SNAP eligibility or benefit amounts. The change narrows what counts as income for SNAP, which may raise benefits or allow more people to qualify, and requires states and local SNAP offices to update eligibility rules and verification practices to implement the new exclusions.