H.R. 7455 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Agriculture, Feb 9, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryLets states buy food aid commodities directly
Right now, the federal government buys food for a program that helps people with low incomes, and sends those products to states to distribute. This bill would let certain states take cash instead and buy those same food items themselves from regular food suppliers. States could choose which option works better for them.
How it affects you
If you rely on emergency food assistance programs, you might see changes in what food is available to you and when, depending on whether your state chooses to buy directly. For states that do participate, they get more flexibility in how they source and distribute food to people who need it.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Feb 9, 2026)
This bill allows a state to receive cash funds under The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to directly purchase agricultural commodities through the private commercial marketplace.
TEFAP is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of people with low income by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. Through TEFAP, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) purchases a variety of commodities and makes those food products (e.g., canned, frozen, dried, and fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat, dairy, and whole-grain and enriched grain products) available to state distributing agencies.
Specifically, the bill allows an eligible state agency to elect to receive as cash the dollar amount used by USDA to purchase the commodities to distribute to the state.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
2nd SessionH. R. 7455
A BILL
To amend the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to allow certain States to directly purchase commodities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Jill N. Tokuda (D-HI-2) · Introduced Feb 9, 2026 · Agriculture and Food · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 20, 2026: “Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.”