A bill to amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to transition Puerto Rico to the supplemental nutrition assistance program, and for other purposes.

Senate Bill

S. 3958

119th Congress

A bill to amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to transition Puerto Rico to the supplemental nutrition assistance program, and for other purposes.

In Committee

Introduced:Mar 2, 2026

Primary Sponsor

Sponsor information unavailable

Cosponsors

0

Quick Stats

Summary

This bill would change how Puerto Rico provides food assistance to low-income residents by switching from its current block grant program to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is the same program used in the 50 states. Currently, Puerto Rico receives a fixed amount of federal funding for nutrition assistance, while states using SNAP receive funding that adjusts based on the number of eligible people and their needs.

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Introduced3/2/2026

StatusRead twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

ChamberSenate

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Vote Prediction

A bill to amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to transition Puerto Rico to the supplemental nutrition assistance program, and for other purposes.

This bill would change how Puerto Rico provides food assistance to low-income residents by switching from its current block grant program to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is the same program used in the 50 states. Currently, Puert

Community Breakdown

Pass

0%

Fail

0%

0 predictions

This bill would change how Puerto Rico provides food assistance to low-income residents by switching from its current block grant program to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is the same program used in the 50 states. Currently, Puerto Rico receives a fixed amount of federal funding for nutrition assistance, while states using SNAP receive funding that adjusts based on the number of eligible people and their needs.

Bill Number: 3958
Introduced: 3/2/2026
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: A bill to amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to transition Puerto Rico to the supplemental nutrition assistance program, and for other purposes.
Bill Number: 3958
Sponsor: No sponsor
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Introduced: 3/2/2026
Summary: This bill would change how Puerto Rico provides food assistance to low-income residents by switching from its current block grant program to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is the same program used in the 50 states. Currently, Puerto Rico receives a fixed amount of federa

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill would change how Puerto Rico provides food assistance to low-income residents by switching from its current block grant program to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is the same program used in the 50 states. Currently, Puerto Rico receives a fixed amount of federal funding for nutrition assistance, while states using SNAP receive funding that adjusts based on the number of eligible people and their needs.

Last updated: 3/4/2026

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

The bill would transition Puerto Rico from its current nutrition assistance block grant to the SNAP program used in the 50 states.
SNAP provides benefits that adjust automatically based on the number of eligible people, while block grants provide a fixed amount of funding regardless of need.
Puerto Rico has operated under a separate nutrition assistance system since 1982, when it was excluded from the regular SNAP program.
The change would align Puerto Rico's food assistance program with the same rules, benefits, and federal funding structure used in the rest of the United States.

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill would primarily affect low-income residents of Puerto Rico who receive nutrition assistance, potentially changing the amount and type of benefits they receive. It would also impact Puerto Rico's government, which would need to administer the SNAP program instead of its current block grant system. The federal government's spending on nutrition assistance in Puerto Rico could increase or decrease depending on how many residents qualify for SNAP benefits.

Policy Areas

No policy areas assigned yet.

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

3958, 119th Congress (2026). "A bill to amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to transition Puerto Rico to the supplemental nutrition assistance program, and for other purposes.". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/119-s-3958

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