Congress quietly expands food stamps for seniors and disabled.
S. 3603 — COLAs Don’t Count Act of 2026 · Filed by Peter Welch (D-VT) · 7 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 8, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends the food stamp program (SNAP) to exclude certain cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) and supplementary Social Security payments from being counted as income when determining eligibility and benefit amounts. Specifically, it changes when COLA exclusions take effect (from July 1 to January 1) and adds supplementary Social Security payments under section 1616(a) to the list of income exclusions. The result: seniors and disabled people receiving these payments will qualify for more SNAP benefits or remain eligible when they otherwise would have been disqualified due to income limits.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is to broaden the income exclusions in the SNAP program, making more seniors and disabled people eligible for food assistance by removing certain income sources from the eligibility calculation.
What the text implies
- The January 1 effective date for COLA exclusions (vs. July 1) may create a six-month window where recipients benefit from the new rule earlier in the calendar year, potentially increasing annual SNAP outlays.
- Inclusion of section 1616(a) supplementary payments (which serve as state supplements to SSI for elderly and blind/disabled individuals) may significantly expand the pool of eligible seniors, particularly in states with robust supplementary payment programs.
- The October 1, 2027 effective date allows time for state SNAP agencies to reprogram eligibility systems, but may create administrative burden and temporary confusion during transition.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill expands SNAP eligibility and benefit levels for seniors and disabled people by excluding income sources they already receive, reducing food insecurity among vulnerable populations. No offsetting cost to other citizens is apparent from the text.
Named in the bill
USDA (administers SNAP), Social Security Administration, State SNAP agencies, Seniors and disabled individuals receiving SSA benefits
Where it stands
7 cosponsors: 6 Democrats, 1 Independents.
- Jan 8, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Jan 8, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $130,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 17 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.
Peter Welch, the sponsor, reported $44,000 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- Santa Clara Valley Water District — $130,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 17, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (596 characters) on Aug 19, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 17, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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