Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- S. 2792
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Agriculture and Food
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-09-11: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Last Updated
- 2025-12-05T21:44:48Z
AI-Generated Summary
Summary of S. 2792: Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2025
Purpose This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit levels by basing allotments on the low-cost food plan instead of the thrifty food plan. It also expands certain income deductions and removes time limits on eligibility for some adults.
Key Provisions
- Benefit Calculation Changes: Replaces references to the "thrifty food plan" with the "low-cost food plan" in benefit calculations. The low-cost plan is defined for a specific 4-person family reference household and requires annual adjustments for inflation, household size, and geographic differences (including Hawaii and Alaska).
- Allotment Adjustments: Raises the maximum deduction from 8 percent to 10 percent in the relevant calculation proviso.
- Medical Expense Deduction: Creates a standard medical expense deduction of $140 for fiscal year 2025 (adjusted annually by the Consumer Price Index for Medical Care), available to elderly or disabled members; states may set higher amounts if cost-neutral.
- Shelter Expense Deduction: Eliminates the existing cap on excess shelter expenses.
- Eligibility Time Limit: Removes the 3-month time limit for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) who do not meet work requirements.
- Related Adjustments: Updates quality control error tolerance amounts, commodity purchase formulas, and various conforming references across the Act and other laws.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Shifts the baseline for all SNAP allotments from the lower-cost thrifty food plan to the higher low-cost food plan, with new reevaluation requirements every five years starting in 2031.
- Introduces a fixed standard medical deduction where only actual excess costs were previously allowed.
- Removes the shelter cost cap that previously limited deductions.
- Eliminates the ABAWD time limit and associated reporting and funding provisions.
- Updates cross-references in the Social Security Act, Internal Revenue Code, and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to align with the removal of the time limit.
Potential Impacts
- Increases federal SNAP expenditures due to higher benefit amounts and expanded deductions.
- Requires USDA and state agencies to update eligibility systems, training, and quality control processes.
- Provides higher monthly benefits to current and new SNAP households, particularly those with medical or housing costs.
- Affects state administration of work programs and reporting requirements tied to the former time limit.
- No direct effects on international relations are specified.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- SNAP recipients, especially elderly, disabled, and low-income households.
- State agencies responsible for program administration.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (Food and Nutrition Service).
- Low-income advocacy organizations and food banks.
- Congress and federal budget offices.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Expands federal spending authority under existing nutrition assistance programs without apparent constitutional conflicts.
- Removes a long-standing work-related eligibility restriction, potentially affecting state flexibility in enforcing employment requirements.
- Increases program costs, which may require future appropriations or offset measures.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
Cosponsors (3)
Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA], Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ], Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
Recent Actions
- 2025-09-11: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 2025-09-11: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2025 — issued 2025-09-11 — PDF (12 pages)