SNAP Reform and Upward Mobility Act of 2025

The "SNAP Reform and Upward Mobility Act of 2025" introduces significant changes to how poverty is measured and how the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) operates. Title I mandates the Director of the Bureau of the Census to collect extensive data from administering agencies, including participation in various Federal benefit programs, their monetary value, market income, and tax payments. This expanded data collection aims to provide a more accurate determination of poverty in the United States and assess the anti-poverty effectiveness of Federal programs. The bill also establishes a Commission on Valuation of Federal Benefits to recommend methods for valuing both cash and non-cash benefits for poverty estimates. Title II focuses on modifications to SNAP, beginning with a declaration that the program's purpose should include increasing employment, encouraging healthy marriage, and promoting self-sufficiency. Key changes include raising the general work requirement age from 60 to 65 and reducing the percentage of individuals States can exempt from work requirements from 15% to 5% . The bill also tightens the definition of areas exempt from work requirements based on unemployment rates and clarifies that the minimum wage rule does not apply to work activities. Furthermore, it introduces a new eligibility criterion requiring households to receive another means-tested public benefit for at least six consecutive months, valued at $50 or more, to qualify for SNAP. To enhance State responsibility, the legislation requires States to contribute matching funds for SNAP administrative costs, starting at 10% in fiscal year 2025 and gradually increasing to 50% by fiscal year 2033. It also mandates that individuals cooperate with fraud investigations as a condition of SNAP eligibility. Regarding Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, the bill limits authorized users to five per card and establishes escalating penalties, including benefit suspensions, for repeated unauthorized use. Finally, the bill strengthens fraud prevention for retailers by requiring annual reauthorization for medium- or high-risk food stores and mandating permanent disqualification for stores convicted of trafficking food instruments or exchanging them for firearms or controlled substances, with limited exceptions.