I 
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. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mrs. HAYES, and Ms. LEE of Penn-
sylvania) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee 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 Representa-
tives 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’’. 
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SEC. 2. CALCULATION OF PROGRAM BENEFITS USING LOW- 
COST FOOD PLAN. 
(a) DEFINITION OF LOW-COST FOOD PLAN.—Sec-
tion 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 fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(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 be-
tween 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, 
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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 house-
holds 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) tak-
ing 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 Octo-
ber 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 house-
hold size.’’. 
(b) VALUE OF ALLOTMENT.—Section 8(a) of the 
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2017(a)) is 
amended— 
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(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 ad-
justed 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) ad-
justed by the difference between the 
thrifty food plan (as defined in section 
3 (as in effect on the day before the 
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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 As-
sistance 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 Nu-
trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2028(a)(2)(A)(ii)) is 
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‘‘(ii) $35,000,000; and’’; and 
(E) in subparagraph (F) (as so redesig-
nated), by striking ‘‘subparagraph (D)(ix) ad-
justed by the percentage by which the thrifty 
food plan has been adjusted under section 
3(u)(4)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraph (F) ad-
justed 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 Secu-
rity 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 ‘‘EX-
CESS 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 elder-
ly or disabled member, exclusive of special diets.’’; 
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(3) in subparagraph (B)(i), by striking ‘‘ex-
cess’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(D) STANDARD
MEDICAL
EXPENSE
DE-
DUCTION AMOUNT.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Except as pro-
vided 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 pre-
ceding June 30 in the Consumer Price 
Index for All Urban Consumers: Med-
ical 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 great-
er standard medical expense deduction 
than described in clause (i) if the greater 
deduction satisfies cost neutrality stand-
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ards established by the Secretary for that 
fiscal year.’’. 
(b) ELIMINATION OF CAP OF EXCESS SHELTER EX-
PENSES.— 
(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), respec-
tively. 
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section 
2605(f)(2)(A) of the Low-Income Home Energy As-
sistance 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 Nutri-
tion 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.— 
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(1) Section 5(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act 
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(a)) is amended, in the sec-
ond 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 Sec-
retary.’’; 
(ii) by striking subparagraph (E); 
(iii) by redesignating subparagraph 
(F) as subparagraph (E); and 
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(iv) in clause (ii)(III)(ee)(AA) of sub-
paragraph (E) (as so redesignated), by 
striking ‘‘, individuals subject to the re-
quirements 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 Rev-
enue 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 insert-
ing ‘‘family receiving’’; and 
(C) by striking subclause (II). 
(6) Section 103(a)(2) of the Workforce Innova-
tion and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3113) is 
amended— 
(A) by striking subparagraph (D); and 
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(B) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) 
through (K) as subparagraphs (D) through (J), 
respectively. 
(7) Section 121(b)(2)(B) of the Workforce In-
novation 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. 
Æ 
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