House GOP bill targets SNAP restaurant meals as Republicans push to change how food stamps can be used

SNAP is generally used to buy groceries, but federal rules allow some recipients to use their benefits for prepared meals at participating restaurants. The Restaurant Meals Program is available only in states that choose to operate it and is limited to certain households, including some elderly or disabled people and people experiencing homelessness.

The program is intended for SNAP recipients who may have difficulty preparing meals or who do not have a permanent place to store and prepare food. House Republicans are now seeking to eliminate the program through new legislation.

According to The Post, Rep. Brandon Gill has introduced legislation that would eliminate the federal Restaurant Meals Program. The proposal follows Republican criticism of SNAP spending at restaurants.

House Republicans want to end SNAP restaurant meals

Figures cited by The Post show that about $524 million in SNAP benefits was spent through the restaurant program across nine states between June 2023 and May 2025. California accounted for about $475 million of that total, followed by Arizona with about $41.4 million and New York with about $3.6 million.

The program is not available to every SNAP recipient. Participating states choose whether to operate it, while restaurants must be approved by the state and authorized by the USDA before they can accept SNAP benefits through the program.

Gill said, “SNAP is supposed to help struggling Americans put nutritious food on the table, not stick taxpayers with the bill for fast food,” according to The Post. His statement frames restaurant spending as a problem with how SNAP benefits are being used.

He also said, “More than half a billion dollars in SNAP benefits have gone to restaurants through this loophole in just two years while the Trump administration is working to get junk food out of the program.” Gill described the restaurant spending as a loophole in his statement to The Post.

USDA says the program is intended for people who may have difficulty preparing food or who do not have a permanent place to store and prepare it. That purpose is part of the argument over whether the program should continue.

The program also has federal roots that predate the current legislation. Federal food stamp law included provisions allowing certain elderly recipients to use benefits for prepared meals before 1977, while the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 required states choosing to operate restaurant meal programs for homeless, elderly or disabled recipients to submit plans to USDA.

The reported spending total does not by itself establish that recipients are violating SNAP rules or that the program is being improperly used. SNAP benefit amounts can vary based on a recipient’s circumstances, including changes reported after a move that have affected some people’s food stamp benefits.

The bill specifically concerns the use of SNAP benefits at participating restaurants. That spending comes as restaurant customers have also faced changes in portion sizes, including complaints about restaurant shrinkflation and what they receive for the price they pay.

Gill’s bill would not eliminate every form of prepared-meal assistance. According to The Post, public and nonprofit organizations would still be able to provide meals to eligible people, including certain home-delivered meals for elderly and disabled recipients.

The proposal follows earlier Republican efforts to examine SNAP spending at restaurants. In July, Gill and other Republican lawmakers asked federal agencies to examine the Restaurant Meals Program and its rules.

For now, the existing Restaurant Meals Program rules remain in place. The legislation would have to advance through Congress before it could change how eligible SNAP recipients in participating states use their benefits.