Congress moves to raise food stamps, eliminate time limits for poor families
S. 2792 — Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2025 · Filed by Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Sep 11, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill increases SNAP (food stamp) benefits by switching from the 'thrifty food plan' to the more generous 'low-cost food plan' as the basis for calculating allotments, raising the income threshold for benefit eligibility, and eliminating time limits on benefits for certain populations. The primary beneficiaries are low-income households receiving SNAP, who will receive higher monthly food assistance.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a straightforward increase in SNAP benefit levels and removal of time restrictions. It is a public-benefit expansion, not a tax carve-out, subsidy to a private sector, or commemorative measure.
What the text implies
- Elimination of time limits on SNAP benefits (Section 4) removes work-requirement or duration restrictions that currently apply to some able-bodied adults without dependents, potentially increasing long-term program enrollment and cost.
- The bill increases the standard medical expense deduction (Section 3(a)) and eliminates the cap on excess shelter expenses (Section 3(b)), which indirectly raises SNAP eligibility by reducing countable income — broadening who qualifies.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Low-income households receiving SNAP; Food retailers (increased SNAP redemptions); Agricultural producers (increased demand for food commodities)