EATS Act of 2025
EATS Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Summary of the EATS Act of 2025 **What the bill would do:** The EATS Act (Enhance Access To SNAP Act) would expand food assistance eligibility for college and university students by removing current restrictions on SNAP (food stamps) participation. Currently, most students ages 18-49 cannot receive SNAP benefits unless they meet specific exceptions like working 20+ hours per week or caring for a young child. This bill would allow otherwise eligible students attending school at least half-time to participate in SNAP regardless of work hours or other circumstances. **Who it affects and key provisions:** The bill primarily affects college and university students with low incomes.
A significant change treats students as independent households rather than institutional residents, which affects how their eligibility is calculated. The bill essentially restores temporary SNAP exemptions for students that expired in May 2023 when the COVID-19 public health emergency ended—those temporary measures had allowed more students to access benefits during the pandemic. **Current status:** As of now, the bill (S 2512) has been introduced in the Senate and remains in committee, meaning it has not yet been debated or voted on by the full Senate. It was sponsored by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
CRS Official Summary
Enhance Access To SNAP Act of 2025 or the EATS Act of 2025This bill expands eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for certain students.Specifically, the bill removes the restriction on SNAP eligibility for students to allow otherwise eligible students who are attending institutions of higher education (IHEs) at least half time to participate in SNAP. Under current law, students 18-49 years old are restricted from participating in SNAP, with exceptions (e.g., caring for a child under the age of 6 or employed for at least 20 hours a week). The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 temporarily exempted some students from certain SNAP eligibility requirements; these temporary student exemptions expired after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, 2023.Further, the bill provides that students enrolled at least half time in a recognized school, training program, or IHE constitute individual households (not residents of institutions) and may be eligible for SNAP benefits. (Participation in SNAP is limited to households.)
Latest Action
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.