H.R. 5129: Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2025

Introduced Sep 4, 20254 cosponsors

Sponsor

Alma Adams

Democrat · NC-12

SNAP should be built on a grocery budget families can use

4 min readLast updated September 28, 2026

Why it matters

Every SNAP benefit in the country is scaled from one number: the cost of USDA's thrifty food plan for a family of four. H.R. 5129 replaces it with USDA's more expensive low-cost food plan, lifts the minimum benefit from 8% to 10% of the one-person maximum, adds a $140 standard medical deduction for seniors and people with disabilities, removes the cap on housing costs, and repeals the federal time limit for adults without dependents.

SNAP benefits start from a model grocery list. USDA prices a diet for a family of four, and that cost sets the maximum benefit for every household size. Right now the model is the thrifty food plan, USDA's cheapest.

H.R. 5129 would switch the base to the low-cost food plan, a larger grocery budget, which raises the maximum benefit for every SNAP household at once. USDA would still adjust it each October for food prices, keep separate cost adjustments for Hawaii and urban and rural Alaska, and re-price the market basket by December 31, 2029, and every five years after.

The smallest benefits also go up. The floor for one- and two-person households would rise from 8% to 10% of the one-person maximum.

The bill then changes what counts against you. Seniors and people with disabilities could take a flat $140 medical deduction instead of documenting every receipt, or keep claiming actual costs if those are higher. Because SNAP generally expects households to put about 30% of net income toward food, a $140 deduction works out to roughly $42 more in monthly benefits.

Housing gets the same treatment. The federal cap on the shelter deduction goes away, so a family whose rent and utilities eat most of its income could deduct the full excess, not a capped slice.

The bill also repeals the federal time limit that cuts some adults without dependents off after 3 months in any 3-year period unless they log 20 hours a week of work or training. Smaller changes include an added $35 million in fiscal 2023 commodity purchases for the emergency food program that supplies food banks.

Bill Progress

IntroducedSep 4

Committee

Pass House

Pass Senate

Signed

Law

Latest Action · Dec 5, 2025

1/2

Assigned to Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture. for review

H.R. 5129 Bill Summary

What H.R. 5129 actually does.

A bigger grocery budget sets every benefit

The maximum SNAP benefit would be based on USDA's low-cost food plan for a family of four instead of the thrifty food plan, adjusted by household size and updated each October for food prices. USDA would re-price the plan by December 31, 2029, and every five years after.

The smallest benefits get a higher floor

The minimum benefit for one- and two-person households rises from 8% to 10% of the maximum benefit for a one-person household.

A flat $140 medical deduction for seniors and people with disabilities

Elderly or disabled household members could take a standard medical deduction, set at $140 for fiscal 2023 and adjusted each year for medical-care inflation, or deduct their actual allowable medical costs. States could set a higher standard amount if it meets USDA cost-neutrality rules.

Full housing costs can count

The federal cap on the excess shelter deduction is removed, so households with high rent and utility bills could deduct the full amount above the threshold when benefits are calculated.

The three-month time limit ends

The bill repeals the federal rule that limits adults without dependents to 3 months of benefits in 3 years unless they meet a 20-hour weekly work or training requirement.

More food for food banks

The bill adds $35 million to the fiscal 2023 commodity purchase formula for The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which supplies food banks and pantries.

Who benefits from H.R. 5129?

Every household on SNAP

Because the maximum benefit for all household sizes is scaled from the family-of-four food plan, moving to the low-cost plan raises the ceiling for every participating household.

Older adults living alone

Single seniors often receive the minimum benefit. The higher floor lifts that amount, and the $140 standard deduction lets them count medical costs without tracking every pharmacy receipt.

Renters in high-cost housing markets

Families without an elderly or disabled member are currently limited in how much housing cost they can deduct. Removing the cap lets their full rent and utility burden count.

Adults without dependents between jobs

People who lose hours or can't find a qualifying work or training slot would no longer be cut off after three months of benefits.

Food banks and pantries

The added $35 million for emergency food program commodities increases the food supply flowing to local charitable providers.

Who is affected by H.R. 5129?

Federal taxpayers

SNAP benefits are federally funded, so a higher base food plan, broader deductions, and repeal of the time limit all raise program spending. No official cost estimate is included in the bill.

State SNAP agencies

States would reprogram eligibility systems for the new benefit base, the medical and shelter deductions, and the end of time-limit tracking, and could choose to seek a higher standard medical deduction.

Workforce and employment programs

The bill strips time-limit references from federal workforce law and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, changing which SNAP participants those programs target.

Cost & Funding

Authorization

H.R. 5129 does not set a dollar appropriation for benefits; SNAP is an entitlement, so costs rise automatically with a higher food plan, larger deductions, and more eligible adults. The one fixed figure is an added $35 million for fiscal 2023 emergency food program commodities.

No Congressional Budget Office estimate was available when this analysis was written.
The low-cost food plan costs more than the thrifty plan for the same family, so the base shift is the largest cost driver, applied to every benefit nationwide.
Medical deduction math: SNAP generally counts about 30% of net income toward food, so a $140 monthly deduction raises a qualifying household's benefit by roughly $42 a month.
Removing the shelter cap and the time limit increases both average benefits and the number of eligible people.

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Tracking floor activity — no debate on H.R. 5129 yet. Updates when a legislator speaks on the record.

HR5129 Legislative Journey

2 actions

House: Committee Action

Dec 5, 2025

Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.

House: Committee Action

Sep 4, 2025

Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

About the Sponsor

Alma Adams

Democrat, North Carolina's 12th congressional district · 12 years in Congress

Committees: Agriculture, Education and Workforce

View full profile →

Cosponsors (4)

No new cosponsors in 253 days — momentum stalled

All 4 cosponsors are Democrats. Cosponsors represent 4 states: California, Connecticut, New York, and 1 more.

4Democrats·4 states

Nydia Velázquez

Democrat · NY

Jahana Hayes

Democrat · CT

Summer Lee

Democrat · PA

Salud Carbajal

Democrat · CA

Committee Sponsors

Agriculture Committee

24D29R

|2 signed51 not yet

2 of 53 committee members cosponsored

Salud Carbajal

Jahana Hayes

22 Democrats across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents

H.R. 5129 Quick Facts

Cosponsors

Committee: Agriculture
Chamber: House
Policy: Agriculture and Food
Introduced: Sep 4, 2025

Assigned to Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture. for review

Dec 5, 2025

Constituent Resources

Find your legislators on H.R. 5129

Get notified when this bill moves

Official Sources

H.R. 5129 on Congress.gov

Official bill record for the Closing the Meal Gap Act, with full text, cosponsors, and committee actions.

USDA Food Plans: Monthly Cost of Food Reports

USDA's monthly costs for the thrifty and low-cost food plans, the two grocery budgets this bill swaps as SNAP's benefit base.

USDA Thrifty Food Plan, 2021

USDA's reevaluation of the thrifty food plan, the model diet that currently sets every SNAP maximum benefit.

SNAP Maximum Allotments and Deductions (COLA)

Current SNAP maximum benefits, minimum benefit, and shelter deduction cap that H.R. 5129 would change.

SNAP Special Rules for the Elderly or Disabled

How the medical expense deduction works today for seniors and people with disabilities, the deduction the bill's $140 standard amount would simplify.

SNAP Work Requirements

USDA's explanation of the time limit for able-bodied adults without dependents that this bill would repeal.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)

The USDA program supplying food banks and pantries that receives an added $35 million in commodity purchases under the bill.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

USDA's main SNAP program page covering eligibility, benefits, and state administration.

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H.R. 5129 Common Questions

Would H.R. 5129 increase SNAP benefits?

Yes, for every household. It bases SNAP on USDA's low-cost food plan instead of the cheaper thrifty food plan, and since all benefit amounts are scaled from that plan, the maximum rises across the board.

What is the difference between the thrifty food plan and the low-cost food plan?

Both are USDA model grocery budgets for a family of four. The thrifty plan is the cheapest and currently sets SNAP benefits. The low-cost plan assumes a somewhat larger grocery budget. H.R. 5129 moves SNAP to the low-cost plan.

Would the minimum SNAP benefit go up?

Yes. The minimum for one- and two-person households would rise from 8% to 10% of the one-person maximum benefit, which itself would be higher under the new food plan.

Does H.R. 5129 end the SNAP work requirement time limit?

Yes. It repeals the federal rule limiting adults without dependents to 3 months of benefits in 3 years unless they work or train 20 hours a week.

How would the $140 SNAP medical deduction work?

Seniors and people with disabilities could take a flat $140 medical deduction, adjusted yearly for medical inflation, or keep deducting actual costs if higher. At SNAP's roughly 30% benefit reduction rate, $140 is worth about $42 a month.

Does H.R. 5129 remove the SNAP shelter deduction cap?

Yes. Households with high rent and utility costs could deduct their full excess shelter costs instead of hitting a federal cap, which can raise their monthly benefit.

Would Alaska and Hawaii still get higher SNAP amounts?

Yes. USDA would keep separate food-cost adjustments for Hawaii and for urban and rural Alaska under the new food plan.

Does H.R. 5129 help food banks?

Yes, modestly. It adds $35 million to the fiscal 2023 commodity purchase formula for The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which supplies food banks and pantries.

Based on H.R. 5129 bill text

H.R. 5129 Bill Text

“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.”

Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office