SNAP Benefits Fairness Act of 2025
Key claim: The SNAP Benefits Fairness Act of 2025 would repeal the shelter deduction cap in SNAP benefit calculations, allowing households to deduct all qualifying housing expenses exceeding 50% of net income without a dollar limit.
Abstract
(HR793 · 119th Congress) SNAP Benefits Fairness Act of 2025 This bill repeals the shelter deduction cap for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit, thereby allowing a household to deduct all allowable housing expenses (e.g., rent or mortgage, electricity, and water costs) that exceed 50% of a household’s income after other deductions when calculating net income to determine SNAP benefits. Under current law, the shelter deduction is capped (unless at least one household member is an elderly or disabled individual), and the cap is adjusted annually for inflation. In FY2025, the shelter deduction is capped at $712 for households in the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia. Latest action (2025-02-28): Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.
Why this matters
The shelter deduction cap is one of the main structural limits on SNAP benefit size for high-housing-cost households, so its repeal would raise benefits for a large share of cost-burdened recipients and increase federal SNAP outlays. For the agriculture-policy vault, it is a case where a nutrition-assistance rule change flows through to grocery demand without changing eligibility or the covered food basket. Framing is neutral: the trade-off is between more responsive benefits for high-rent households and higher program cost.