To amend the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to allow certain States to directly purchase commodities, and for other purposes.
Key claim: This bill would allow eligible state agencies to receive cash funds instead of USDA-purchased commodities under TEFAP, enabling direct purchases of agricultural commodities through the private commercial marketplace.
Abstract
(HR7455 · 119th Congress) 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. Latest action (2026-03-20): Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.
Why this matters
TEFAP is a core federal channel through which USDA-purchased commodities reach food banks and low-income households; letting states opt for cash-based private procurement could shift where farm commodity demand lands (from bulk USDA purchase contracts toward local/regional suppliers) and change the mix and freshness of foods delivered to consumers. The status is introduced, so effects on farmers, food prices, and emergency food recipients are prospective and depend on how many states would elect the cash option and how USDA implements price-equivalent transfers.