[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5129 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5129
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require that
supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits be calculated using
the value of the low-cost food plan, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 4, 2025
Ms. Adams (for herself, Ms. Velazquez, Mrs. Hayes, and Ms. Lee of
Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require that
supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits be calculated using
the value of the low-cost food plan, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. CALCULATION OF PROGRAM BENEFITS USING LOW-COST FOOD PLAN.
(a) Definition of Low-Cost Food Plan.--Section 3 of the Food and
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012) is amended--
(1) by striking subsection (u);
(2) by redesignating subsections (n) through (t) as
subsections (o) through (u), respectively; and
(3) by inserting after subsection (m) the following:
``(n) Low-Cost Food Plan.--
``(1) In general.--The term `low-cost food plan' means the
diet, determined in accordance with the calculations of the
Secretary, required to feed a 4-person family that consists
of--
``(A) a man and a woman who are each between 19 and
50 years of age;
``(B) a child who is between 6 and 8 years of age;
and
``(C) a child who is between 9 and 11 years of age.
``(2) Reevaluation.--By December 31, 2029, and at 5-year
intervals thereafter, the Secretary shall reevaluate and
publish the market baskets of the low-cost food plan, based on
current food prices, food composition data, consumption
patterns, and dietary guidance.
``(3) Cost.--For purposes of paragraph (1), the cost of the
diet described in that paragraph shall be the basis for uniform
allotments for all households regardless of the actual
composition of the household, except that the Secretary shall--
``(A) make household-size adjustments (based on the
unrounded cost of that diet) taking into account
economies of scale;
``(B) make cost adjustments in the low-cost food
plan for the State of Hawaii and the urban and rural
parts of the State of Alaska to reflect the cost of
food in Hawaii and urban and rural Alaska,
respectively; and
``(C) on October 1, 2023, and each October 1
thereafter, adjust the cost of the diet to reflect the
cost of the diet in the immediately preceding June, and
round the result to the nearest lower-dollar increment
for each household size.''.
(b) Value of Allotment.--Section 8(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2017(a)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``thrifty food plan'' each place it appears
and inserting ``low-cost food plan''; and
(2) in the proviso, by striking ``8 percent'' and inserting
``10 percent''.
(c) Quality Control System.--Section 16(c)(1)(A)(ii) of the Food
and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2025(c)(1)(A)(ii)) is amended--
(1) in subclause (II)--
(A) by striking ``thrifty food plan is adjusted
under section 3(u)(4)'' and inserting ``low-cost food
plan is adjusted under section 3(n)(3)(D)''; and
(B) by striking ``2013'' and inserting ``2023'';
(2) by redesignating subclause (II) as subclause (III); and
(3) by striking subclause (I) and inserting the following:
``(I) for fiscal year 2023, at an
amount not greater than $50;
``(II) for fiscal year 2024, the
amount specified in subclause (I)
adjusted by the difference between the
thrifty food plan (as defined in
section 3 (as in effect on the day
before the date of enactment of the
Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2025)) and
the low-cost food plan; and''.
(d) Conforming Amendments.--
(1) Section 10 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7
U.S.C. 2019) is amended, in the first sentence, by striking
``3(o)(4)'' and inserting ``3(p)(4)''.
(2) Section 11 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7
U.S.C. 2020) is amended--
(A) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ``3(s)(1)''
and inserting ``3(t)(1)'';
(B) in subsection (d)--
(i) by striking ``3(s)(1)'' each place it
appears and inserting ``3(t)(1)'';
(ii) by striking ``3(s)(2)'' each place it
appears and inserting ``3(t)(2)''; and
(iii) by striking ``Act (25 U.S.C. 450)''
and inserting ``and Education Assistance Act
(25 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.)''; and
(C) in subsection (e)(17), by striking ``3(s)(1)''
and inserting ``3(t)(1)''.
(3) Section 19(a)(2)(A)(ii) of the Food and Nutrition Act
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2028(a)(2)(A)(ii)) is amended by striking
``thrifty food plan has been adjusted under section 3(u)(4)''
and inserting ``low-cost food plan has been adjusted under
section 3(n)(3)(D)''.
(4) Section 27(a)(2) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008
(7 U.S.C. 2036(a)(2)) is amended--
(A) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ``(as in
effect on the day before the date of enactment of the
Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2025)'' after ``section
3(u)(4)'';
(B) in subparagraph (D)(ix), by striking ``and'' at
the end;
(C) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as
subparagraph (F);
(D) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the
following:
``(E) for fiscal year 2023, the sum obtained by
adding--
``(i) the dollar amount of commodities
specified in subparagraph (B) adjusted by the
percentage by which the low-cost food plan has
been adjusted under section 3(u)(4) between
June 30, 2021, and June 30 of the immediately
preceding fiscal year; and
``(ii) $35,000,000; and''; and
(E) in subparagraph (F) (as so redesignated), by
striking ``subparagraph (D)(ix) adjusted by the
percentage by which the thrifty food plan has been
adjusted under section 3(u)(4)'' and inserting
``subparagraph (F) adjusted by the percentage by which
the low-cost food plan has been adjusted under section
3(n)(3)(D)''.
(5) Section 408(a)(12)(B)(i) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 608(a)(12)(B)(i)) is amended by striking ``(r)'' each
place it appears.
SEC. 3. DEDUCTIONS FROM INCOME.
(a) Standard Medical Expense Deduction.--Section 5(e)(5) of the
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(5)) is amended--
(1) in the paragraph heading, by striking ``Excess
medical'' and inserting ``Medical'';
(2) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``an excess medical''
and all that follows through the period at the end and
inserting ``a standard medical deduction or a medical expense
deduction of actual costs for the allowable medical expenses
incurred by the elderly or disabled member, exclusive of
special diets.'';
(3) in subparagraph (B)(i), by striking ``excess''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) Standard medical expense deduction amount.--
``(i) In general.--Except as provided in
clause (ii), the standard medical expense
deduction shall be--
``(I) for fiscal year 2023, $140;
and
``(II) for each subsequent fiscal
year, equal to the applicable amount
for the immediately preceding fiscal
year as adjusted to reflect changes for
the 12-month period ending the
preceding June 30 in the Consumer Price
Index for All Urban Consumers: Medical
Care published by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the Department of Labor.
``(ii) Exception.--For any fiscal year, a
State agency may establish a greater standard
medical expense deduction than described in
clause (i) if the greater deduction satisfies
cost neutrality standards established by the
Secretary for that fiscal year.''.
(b) Elimination of Cap of Excess Shelter Expenses.--
(1) In general.--Section 5(e)(6) of the Food and Nutrition
Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(6)) is amended--
(A) by striking subparagraph (B); and
(B) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as
subparagraphs (B) and (C), respectively.
(2) Conforming amendment.--Section 2605(f)(2)(A) of the
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C.
8624(f)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ``5(e)(6)(C)(iv)(I) of
that Act (7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(6)(C)(iv)(I))'' and inserting
``5(e)(6)(B)(iv)(I) of that Act (7 U.S.C.
2014(e)(6)(B)(iv)(I))''.
SEC. 4. ELIMINATION OF TIME LIMIT.
(a) In General.--Section 6 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7
U.S.C. 2015) is amended--
(1) by striking subsection (o); and
(2) by redesignating subsections (p) through (s) as
subsections (o) through (r), respectively.
(b) Conforming Amendments.--
(1) Section 5(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7
U.S.C. 2014(a)) is amended, in the second sentence, by striking
``(r)'' and inserting ``(q)''.
(2) Section 6(d)(4) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008
(7 U.S.C. 2015(d)(4)) is amended--
(A) in subparagraph (B)(ii)(I)(bb)(DD), by striking
``or subsection (o)''; and
(B) in subparagraph (N), by striking ``or
subsection (o)'' each place it appears.
(3) Section 7(i)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008
(7 U.S.C. 2016(i)(1)) is amended by striking ``section 6(o)(2)
of this Act or''.
(4) Section 16(h) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7
U.S.C. 2025(h)) is amended--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in subparagraph (B), in the matter
preceding clause (i), by striking ``that--''
and all that follows through the period at the
end of clause (ii) and inserting ``that is
determined and adjusted by the Secretary.'';
(ii) by striking subparagraph (E);
(iii) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as
subparagraph (E); and
(iv) in clause (ii)(III)(ee)(AA) of
subparagraph (E) (as so redesignated), by
striking ``, individuals subject to the
requirements under section 6(o),''; and
(B) in paragraph (5)(C)--
(i) in clause (ii), by adding ``and'' at
the end;
(ii) in clause (iii), by striking ``; and''
and inserting a period; and
(iii) by striking clause (iv).
(5) Section 51(d)(8)(A)(ii) of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 is amended--
(A) in subclause (I), by striking ``, or'' at the
end and inserting a period;
(B) in the matter preceding subclause (I), by
striking ``family--'' and all that follows through
``receiving'' in subclause (I) and inserting ``family
receiving''; and
(C) by striking subclause (II).
(6) Section 103(a)(2) of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3113) is amended--
(A) by striking subparagraph (D); and
(B) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) through (K)
as subparagraphs (D) through (J), respectively.
(7) Section 121(b)(2)(B) of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3151) is amended--
(A) by striking clause (iv); and
(B) by redesignating clauses (v) through (vii) as
clauses (iv) through (vi), respectively.
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