S. 2512 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Jul 29, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryExpands food assistance eligibility for college students
Right now, most students between 18 and 49 years old can't get SNAP benefits, which help people buy food. This bill would change that rule to let full-time college students participate in SNAP regardless of their age, as long as they meet other basic requirements. The bill also treats students as independent households eligible for benefits, rather than as residents of their schools.
How it affects you
If you're a college student attending at least half time, this could make you newly eligible for SNAP food assistance. This could help ease the cost of groceries while you're in school, assuming you meet other eligibility requirements like income limits.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Jul 29, 2025)
Enhance Access To SNAP Act of 2025 or the EATS Act of 2025
This 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.)
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.
1st SessionS. 2512
A BILL
EATS Act of 2025
Sponsor: Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY) · Introduced Jul 29, 2025 · Agriculture and Food · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jul 29, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.”