COLAs Don’t Count Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Senator Peter Welch
Introduced
Summary
Exclude certain Social Security supplementary payments from SNAP income calculations. This bill would add supplementary payments described in section 1616(a) of the Social Security Act to the list of payments that are not counted as income for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It would also change the reference date used for the cost‑of‑living adjustment exclusion from July 1 to January 1.
Show full summary
- Households that receive those supplementary Social Security payments would not have that money counted as SNAP income. That could affect who qualifies for SNAP and how much aid some households receive.
- Moving the COLA exclusion date from July 1 to January 1 changes when cost‑of‑living increases are excluded from income for SNAP calculations.
- These changes would take effect on October 1, 2027.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
SNAP excludes Social Security supplements
If enacted, this bill would stop counting Social Security Act section 1616(a) supplementary payments as income for SNAP eligibility and benefit calculations. It would also change a date used in SNAP's cost-of-living exclusion by replacing "July 1" with "January 1." These changes would take effect on October 1, 2027. SNAP households that receive 1616(a) payments would see their countable income fall, which would raise benefits or make some households newly eligible.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Peter Welch
VT • D
Cosponsors
Bernie Sanders
VT • I
Sponsored 1/8/2026
Edward Markey
MA • D
Sponsored 1/8/2026
Alex Padilla
CA • D
Sponsored 1/8/2026
Martin Heinrich
NM • D
Sponsored 1/8/2026
Ron Wyden
OR • D
Sponsored 1/8/2026
Adam Schiff
CA • D
Sponsored 1/8/2026
Jeanne Shaheen
NH • D
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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