By Once in awhile you see a news story that makes you say: “wait, they could do that?” A Texas Republican is moving to prevent food-stamp recipients from using taxpayer-funded benefits at restaurants after more than $524 million was redeemed at participating establishments over a two-year period.
Rep. Brandon Gill introduced legislation Thursday that would restrict Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to grocery-store purchases, effectively ending a federal exception that permits certain recipients to use SNAP at approved restaurants, reports The New York Post.
“SNAP is supposed to help struggling Americans put nutritious food on the table, not stick taxpayers with the bill for fast food,” Gill said in announcing the bill.
Gill said on Twitter that more than $524 million had been spent at restaurants through the program in two years and that his measure would “refocus SNAP on nutritious groceries.”
Taxpayers are footing the bill for fast food through SNAP. More than $524 MILLION was spent at restaurants through this loophole in just two years.
Today, I introduced legislation to end the fast-food loophole and refocus SNAP on nutritious groceries for struggling Americans. pic.twitter.com/J2NBnH9TWr
— Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) September 3, 2026
The proposal gained widespread attention after Libs of TikTok promoted Gill’s announcement on social media, drawing tens of thousands of views.
Federal rules generally prohibit SNAP recipients from purchasing hot food prepared for immediate consumption. The Restaurant Meals Program, however, allows states to make an exception for recipients who are at least 60 years old, have disabilities or are experiencing homelessness, as well as their spouses.
Those recipients can use their electronic benefits transfer cards at restaurants approved by both the state and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. EBT cards are coded to reject restaurant transactions attempted by recipients who do not qualify.
Nine states currently participate: Arizona, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, Virginia and select counties in Illinois. Texas does not participate.
Critics say the program has expanded far beyond the narrow accommodation Congress originally intended. Data cited by Gill and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) show that more than $524 million in SNAP benefits was redeemed at participating restaurants between June 2023 and May 2025.
California accounted for approximately $475 million of that spending. Arizona ranked second at $41.4 million, while New York, Michigan, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Illinois, Virginia and Maryland recorded considerably smaller totals.
California has expanded the program statewide and authorized thousands of participating restaurants, including McDonald’s, Subway, KFC, Burger King, Taco Bell and Jack in the Box.
Ernst, Gill and several other House Republicans wrote to USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services in July requesting a review of the program and reforms consistent with the Trump administration’s nutrition agenda. They argued that a program designed as a narrow exception had increasingly become a subsidy for major fast-food chains.
Supporters counter that the Restaurant Meals Program serves people who cannot reasonably prepare food at home, including seniors with limited mobility, people with disabilities and homeless recipients without access to a kitchen. Eliminating restaurant purchases, they argue, would not result in more home-cooked meals but would instead leave those recipients with fewer options for obtaining food they can immediately eat.
Gill’s proposal comes amid a broader Republican effort to rein in SNAP spending and steer benefits toward more nutritious food. The 2025 reconciliation law expanded work requirements and changed the program’s eligibility and financing rules. Several states have also moved to prohibit SNAP purchases of soda, candy and other items, while USDA and HHS have reviewed federal nutrition standards.
Other House Republicans have proposed narrower reforms to the Restaurant Meals Program, while a bipartisan group of lawmakers has sought to allow SNAP recipients to purchase hot rotisserie chickens at grocery stores.
Gill’s bill has not yet received a widely circulated bill number or committee schedule. It would have to clear the House Agriculture Committee and win approval in both chambers before reaching President Donald Trump’s desk.
Restaurant purchases represent only a small portion of SNAP’s roughly $100 billion in annual spending, most of which occurs at grocery stores and other authorized retailers. But the $524 million total has given Republicans a vivid example of what they view as mission creep inside a program intended to help low-income Americans purchase groceries.
The dispute ultimately turns on whether Congress views restaurant access as a necessary exception for recipients unable to cook—or a taxpayer-funded fast-food benefit that has grown well beyond its original purpose.
[READ MORE: Foreign Foe Uses Shipping Company To Spy On America]
