No Welfare for the Wealthy Act of 2023
Latest action (15 Jun 2023): Introduced
What this bill does
H.R. 4154, the “No Welfare for the Wealthy Act of 2023,” would amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which governs the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps). The bill rewrites the law’s general eligibility provision so that a household may receive SNAP benefits only if it meets the income and resource limits set out elsewhere in the Act. The bill’s title and CRS materials indicate this is meant to close what supporters call a “nominal benefits loophole,” a route by which some households currently qualify for SNAP without meeting those standard income and resource tests.
The change would affect SNAP applicants and recipients nationwide, potentially altering eligibility for households that currently qualify through means other than direct income and resource limits. State agencies that administer SNAP would also need to apply the revised eligibility standard.
The bill would take effect one year after enactment and would apply only to SNAP certification periods beginning on or after that effective date; it would not affect certification periods already underway. Introduced by Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA) on June 15, 2023, with several cosponsors, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. It has not received a committee vote or further floor action, and its status remains at the introduction stage.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
No Welfare for the Wealthy Act of 2023
This bill requires all households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to meet the program's income and asset requirements.
Federal requirements generally provide two pathways for SNAP financial eligibility. A household may meet program-specific federal eligibility requirements, which include both income eligibility and an asset test. A household may also be automatically or categorically eligible for SNAP based on eligibility for or receiving cash benefits from other specified low-income assistance programs (e.g., Temporary Assistance for Needy Families [TANF]). Under this categorical eligibility, households that already meet financial eligibility rules in a program like TANF are not required to go through another financial eligibility determination in SNAP.
Further, a majority of states also provide broad-based categorical eligibility (BBCE), a policy that makes most households with an income below a certain threshold categorically eligible for SNAP. Under BBCE, these states typically make households categorically eligible through receiving or being authorized to receive a minimal non-cash TANF benefit or service (e.g., a pamphlet). A state may set its own BBCE financial eligibility requirements for a household so long as the income requirement is below a certain level. A state's requirements do not have to match SNAP program-specific eligibility requirements. For example, most states that provide BBCE do not have an asset test for SNAP eligibility.
The bill requires all SNAP households, including those that qualify under categorical eligibility, to meet the SNAP program's income and asset requirements. These requirements take effect one year after the bill's enactment and do not apply to certification periods that begin before the effective date.
Common questions
- What does H.R. 4154 do?
- H.R. 4154, the “No Welfare for the Wealthy Act of 2023,” would amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which governs the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps). The bill rewrites the law’s general eligibility provision so that a household may receive SNAP benefits only if it meets the income and resource limits set out elsewhere in the Act. The bill’s title and CRS materials indicate this is meant to close what supporters call a “nominal benefits loophole,” a route by which some households currently qualify for SNAP without meeting those standard income and resource tests. The change would affect SNAP applicants and recipients nationwide, potentially altering eligibility for households that currently qualify through means other than direct income and resource limits. State agencies that administer SNAP would also need to apply the revised eligibility standard. The bill would take effect one year after enactment and would apply only to SNAP certification periods beginning on or after that effective date; it would not affect certification periods already underway. Introduced by Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA) on June 15, 2023, with several cosponsors, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. It has not received a committee vote or further floor action, and its status remains at the introduction stage.
- Has H.R. 4154 become law?
- Not yet. As of 15 Jun 2023, H.R. 4154 is introduced.
- Who sponsored H.R. 4154?
- H.R. 4154 was sponsored by Rep. Ben Cline [R-VA6] (Republican-VA), with 12 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on H.R. 4154?
- Introduced (15 Jun 2023).
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