The plan was to use food stamps for groceries, and then came a new bill from the House.
Freshman Rep. Brandon Gill wants to stop restaurants from taking food stamp benefits. He argues these funds should only buy groceries. On Thursday, Gill introduced a bill to terminate the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP). This program currently lets some people buy hot meals at certain eateries.
Gill told The New York Post in a statement: “SNAP is supposed to help struggling Americans put nutritious food on the table, not stick taxpayers with the bill for fast food,”
The numbers are hard to ignore. Per reports, the loophole has cost taxpayers a lot. In only two years, over half a billion dollars in SNAP benefits flowed to restaurants via this loophole, even as the Trump administration seeks to remove junk food from the program.
I gave her every opportunity to say Americans don’t need Coca-Cola to survive. She wouldn’t do it.
This is who Democrats brought to defend food stamps. pic.twitter.com/VkoHQeoha5
— Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) June 25, 2026
The Post reported that about $524 million was spent at restaurants across nine states. This happened between June 2023 and May 2025. The states include New York, California, and Arizona.
California spent the most on restaurants at $475 million. Arizona followed with $41.4 million. New York spent $3.6 million. Under Gill’s Ending Restaurant Purchases with SNAP Act, public groups can still provide meals to the disabled and elderly. The original program started in 1977 to help those who could not cook or store food.
Gill has been pushing back on what counts as food. In June, he spoke with Gina Plata-Nino from the Food Research and Action Center. She defends the current rules. The two argued about using food stamps for soft drinks.
“Do the American people need Coca-Cola to survive?” he asked during the exchange. Plata-Nino did not answer directly.
He gave her every chance to say Americans need soda. She would not do it. A congressional post notes that this is the figure Democrats selected to defend food stamps.
The issue has gained more attention. Last month, Gill joined other GOP lawmakers led by Sen. Joni Ernst. They raised concerns about spending at fast food chains like McDonald’s. The legislators asked the Department of Health and Human Services to look into the rules.
They want to know if the rules need tightening. “What was originally intended as a narrow accommodation for individuals unable to store or prepare food, the program has grown and is now dominated by large national fast-food and quick-service chains,” the lawmakers noted.
Republicans added work requirements to the program in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
