# 119-hr-6586: To authorize the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program to assess the efficacy of providing junior enlisted members of the Armed Forces a monthly coupon for use in procuring food at commissaries.

119-hr-6586, To authorize the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program to assess the efficacy of providing junior enlisted members of the Armed Forces a monthly coupon for use in procuring food at commissaries., is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6586
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-6586
- Congress: 119
- Title: To authorize the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program to assess the efficacy of providing junior enlisted members of the Armed Forces a monthly coupon for use in procuring food at commissaries.
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-12-10
- Sponsor: Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

This bill would create a pilot to test providing **monthly commissary food coupons to junior enlisted service members** to see if they improve access to affordable, healthy food, especially for those living in unaccompanied government housing. - Junior enlisted members: Eligible junior enlisted members would receive a monthly coupon that can only be used at military commissaries to buy food. Coupons may not buy alcohol or tobacco and must supplement, not replace, existing subsistence allowances or in-kind meals. - Unaccompanied housing residents: The pilot focuses on installations with many unaccompanied members, functioning kitchens in housing, low dining facility attendance, and nearby commissaries to measure real-world access to nutritious options. - Commissaries and DoD reporting: The pilot may run at up to two installations and would examine commissary offerings of ready-made and easy-to-make foods. The Department of Defense would report coupon use, recipient satisfaction, dining facility impacts, and effects on food insecurity to congressional defense committees within 90 days after the one-year pilot ends.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Monthly commissary coupons for junior enlisted: benefit, low. If enacted, the Secretary of Defense would be able to run a one-year pilot giving monthly commissary food coupons to junior enlisted members. The Secretary would pick up to two military installations for the pilot. Coupons would be usable only for food at commissaries and the Secretary would set th…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3077: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-2945: Housing for All Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5442: Inspired to Serve Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-6586 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6586)

## Related
- [119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6900)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-3077: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3077)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-2945: Housing for All Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2945)
- [119-hr-5442: Inspired to Serve Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5442)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6586 (as of 2026-04-21).