HR-6986-119
Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.
Sponsored by Gwen Moore (D-WI)
What it does
This bill would amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to exclude cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increases from Social Security (Titles II and XVI), Railroad Retirement, and Veterans' benefits from being counted as income when determining a household's eligibility for — and benefit amount from — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It would also exclude state supplementary payments made under Section 1616 of the Social Security Act from SNAP income calculations. The exclusion of COLA increases would apply through September 30 of the fiscal year in which the adjustment takes effect, and only for households already enrolled in or receiving SNAP in the month before the adjustment. The bill would take effect October 1, 2027.
Who benefits
Current SNAP recipients who also receive Social Security retirement or disability (SSDI/SSI) benefits, Railroad Retirement benefits, or Veterans' compensation — particularly low-income seniors and people with disabilities who receive annual COLAs. Households near the SNAP income eligibility threshold who might otherwise lose benefits or see reduced allotments after a COLA increase. Advocacy organizations serving elderly and disabled populations. Food retailers in communities with high concentrations of elderly and disabled SNAP recipients, who would see more stable customer purchasing power.
Who is hurt
Federal taxpayers who fund SNAP, as the bill would increase program costs by maintaining or expanding benefits for households whose nominal income has risen. Households not already enrolled in SNAP at the time of a COLA adjustment, who would not benefit from the exclusion. State SNAP administering agencies, which may face additional administrative complexity in tracking which income increases are COLA-attributable. Households receiving income from other sources (e.g., wages) that are not similarly excluded, who may perceive an unequal treatment of income types.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that COLA increases are designed solely to preserve purchasing power against inflation — not to make recipients wealthier — and that counting them as new income for SNAP purposes effectively penalizes beneficiaries for keeping pace with rising prices. They contend that seniors and people with disabilities on fixed incomes are among the most food-insecure populations, and that losing SNAP benefits or receiving reduced allotments precisely when inflation is high compounds economic hardship. Under current law, a modest COLA can push a household just over the SNAP income limit, resulting in a benefit loss that far exceeds the value of the COLA itself.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that SNAP is means-tested specifically to target limited federal resources toward those with the greatest financial need, and that excluding a category of income from that calculation undermines the program's targeting accuracy. They contend that a COLA, regardless of its intent, represents real additional dollars available to a household, and that treating it differently from wage increases or other income creates an inequitable two-tiered system. Critics may also point to the fiscal cost of maintaining benefits for households whose income has measurably increased, at a time when SNAP spending is already subject to significant congressional scrutiny.
Constitutional context
This bill is a straightforward exercise of Congress's spending power under Article I, Section 8, modifying the terms of an existing federal benefit program. No significant constitutional tension is present — Congress has broad authority to define income and eligibility rules for programs it funds, and this bill does not raise Commerce Clause, nondelegation, or takings issues.
Checks and balances
Congress gains authority to define SNAP income eligibility rules more narrowly; the USDA Food and Nutrition Service would implement the change through updated program regulations, subject to standard administrative and judicial review.
Historical precedent
The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 already contains a temporary COLA exclusion provision (the existing paragraph 12 this bill amends), which has been periodically extended by Congress, suggesting a recurring legislative pattern of shielding COLA increases from SNAP income calculations.