PRIA Logo™
119-hr-6252119th CongressWALLET

Food Assurance and Security Act

Sponsored By: Representative Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1]

In Committee

Summary

Creates an annual, standardized federal program to measure household food insecurity and hunger. This bill would have the Department of Agriculture work with the Census Bureau to collect, analyze, and publicly report yearly survey data on household and child food hardship.

Show full summary
  • Families with children: The survey would ask child-specific questions for households with kids ages 0–17 about relying on low-cost foods, children not getting enough, skipping meals, and frequency of those events. These questions aim to show how often children face hunger.
  • Households: The questionnaire covers worry about running out of food, inability to afford balanced meals, skipping or reducing meals, eating less or going hungry, weight loss, and not eating for a whole day. That creates consistent, detailed measures of severity.
  • Timing and quality controls: The Current Population Survey would include a food security supplement consistent with the 2023 questionnaire for 2026 through 2028 and continue thereafter with questions substantially similar, subject to testing, review, public input, and Office of Management and Budget clearance.
  • Agencies and funding: The Department of Agriculture would publish annual reports, post them online, submit them to Congress, and fund the Census Bureau’s costs. The bill authorizes whatever sums are necessary to carry out the program.

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

New federal food security program

This bill would require the Secretary of Agriculture, with the Census Bureau, to create and run an interagency program to collect, analyze, and report yearly food insecurity and hunger data. The bill would appropriate "such sums as may be necessary" to the Agriculture Department to carry out the program. Of those funds, the Secretary would pay the Census Bureau for the costs of the annual food security supplement. The Agriculture Department would publish the findings on its website and submit an annual report to Congress.

Standard annual household food survey

This bill would require the Current Population Survey to include a food security supplement consistent with the 2023 questionnaire for 2026 through 2028 and continuing thereafter. Any changes to those questions would need robust testing, a thorough review, public input, and Office of Management and Budget clearance. The supplement would ask adults about worrying food would run out, food not lasting, not affording balanced meals, cutting or skipping meals, eating less, being hungry or losing weight, and not eating for a whole day. Households with children ages 0–17 would get extra child-specific questions about low-cost foods, children not eating enough, cutting children’s meals, and how often these things happened.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1]

MO • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 11/21/2025

  • Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 12/2/2025

  • Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7]

    IN • D

    Sponsored 12/2/2025

  • Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]

    DC • D

    Sponsored 12/2/2025

  • Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 12/3/2025

  • Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 12/3/2025

  • Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1]

    OR • D

    Sponsored 12/15/2025

  • Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5]

    MO • D

    Sponsored 3/26/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation