PRIA Logo™
S2792119th CongressWALLET

Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Senator Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]

Introduced

Summary

This bill would base SNAP benefits on a new low-cost food plan, replacing the thrifty food plan and also would remove time limits on some recipients while changing medical and shelter deduction rules.

Show full summary
  • Families and households: Household SNAP allotments would be tied to the cost of a single low-cost diet defined for a four-person reference household, with size adjustments for economies of scale and special cost adjustments for Hawaii and parts of Alaska. The low-cost market basket would be reevaluated by Dec 31, 2031 and every five years after.
  • Seniors and people with disabilities: The bill would rename the standard medical deduction and set it at $140 for fiscal year 2025, then index it to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Medical Care. It would also remove the cap on excess shelter expenses and allow states to set higher medical deductions if cost neutrality exists that year.
  • Adults previously subject to time limits: The bill would eliminate the SNAP time limit for affected adults, restoring ongoing eligibility so long as other program rules are met.

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

4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Bigger medical and shelter deductions

If enacted, elderly or disabled SNAP members could take a $140 standard medical deduction for fiscal year 2025. Each year after, that standard would rise by the 12-month change in the CPI-U Medical Care index ending the prior June 30. Members could instead deduct actual allowable medical expenses (excluding special diets). States could set a larger standard for a year if approved by the Secretary as cost-neutral. The bill would also remove the statutory cap on excess shelter expense deductions so households could claim higher shelter costs under existing SNAP rules.

End SNAP time limit for adults

This bill would remove the SNAP statutory time limit that applied to certain able-bodied adults without dependents. If enacted, people who lost eligibility only because of that time limit could regain SNAP access, subject to other program rules and state administration. The bill would also update statute cross-references to match the removal.

New low-cost plan for SNAP allotments

This bill would replace the thrifty food plan with a new low-cost food plan used to set SNAP allotments. The low-cost plan is defined for a four-person reference family (two adults 19–50, one child 6–8, one child 9–11). The Secretary would update market baskets by December 31, 2031 and every five years after. On October 1, 2025 and each October 1 after, allotments would use costs from the prior June and be rounded down to the next dollar. One existing allotment proviso would rise from 8% to 10%. For fiscal year 2025, the bill would also add $35 million to commodity funding and require the commodity amount to be adjusted by the low-cost plan percentage change.

SNAP quality control dollar caps

The bill would set SNAP Quality Control (QC) dollar limits for FY2025 and FY2026. For FY2025 the QC amount would be not greater than $50. For FY2026 the QC amount would equal the FY2025 amount adjusted by the difference between the thrifty food plan (as in effect the day before enactment) and the low-cost food plan. These changes affect program QC calculations and agency references, not direct household payments.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]

NY • D

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA]

    PA • D

    Sponsored 9/11/2025

  • Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 9/11/2025

  • Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]

    VT • I

    Sponsored 9/11/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation