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Sen. Joni Ernst this week unveiled legislation aimed at tightening rules around a little-known option in the federal food assistance system that has allowed some SNAP recipients to spend benefits on prepared meals at restaurants. The proposal comes after a review by her office found hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars were used at fast-food outlets through the program over the past two years, raising fresh questions about program scope and oversight.
The measure, called the McSCUSE ME Act, targets the federal Restaurant Meals Program, a limited SNAP option that permits certain beneficiaries to buy ready-to-eat food. Ernst’s office says nine states currently participate and that the program’s use — especially by fast-food chains — has surged in recent years, largely driven by expansion in California.
What the data shows
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Ernst’s staff reviewed SNAP transaction data from June 2023 through May 2025 and found:
- $524 million in total federal SNAP funds spent through the Restaurant Meals Program nationwide during that period.
- $475 million of that amount was used at fast-food establishments.
- California accounted for more than 90% of Restaurant Meals Program spending in that window.
- Nine states participate in the program: Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island and Virginia.
Breakdown by state for June 2023–May 2025 (as reported by Ernst’s office): Arizona $41.4 million; New York $3.6 million; Michigan $1.3 million; Rhode Island $995,900; Massachusetts $649,000; Illinois $479,000; Virginia $308,500; Maryland $8,600. The remaining balance is attributed largely to California.
How the Restaurant Meals Program started — and why it matters now
The modern SNAP program began under the Food Stamp Act of 1964 with the goal of helping low-income households buy staple groceries to prepare at home. A 1977 policy allowed states to create a Restaurant Meals Program intended to assist people without access to a kitchen — initially the homeless — by permitting the use of SNAP benefits for prepared meals.
Over time, eligibility expanded to include people who are elderly or disabled and, in some states, their spouses. The current debate centers on whether that expansion has gone beyond the program’s original purpose and whether it exposes federal funds to misuse.
Key provisions of the McSCUSE ME Act
- Preserves access for homeless people, elderly and disabled beneficiaries.
- Eliminates spousal eligibility for the Restaurant Meals Program.
- Limits the types of vendors that can enroll, prioritizing grocery stores with hot-prepared food counters over traditional fast-food chains.
- Requires states to publish annual reports listing participating vendors, the number of beneficiaries using the program and total program costs.
Supporters of the bill frame it as a step to align SNAP spending with nutrition goals and improve transparency. Opponents warn that restrictions could reduce access to prepared foods for people with limited cooking facilities and that state-level choices should be respected.
Broader context: program spending and recent federal actions
The bill arrives as the federal government and the public debate benefit integrity and program costs. SNAP outlays reached unusually high levels early in the Biden administration — roughly $128 billion in 2021 and $127 billion in 2022 — before settling closer to pre-pandemic figures in later years.
Those budget discussions intensified after the recent 43-day government shutdown, during which food assistance programs faced operational disruption and renewed scrutiny. Following the reopening, the administration announced a reapplication requirement for all SNAP recipients intended to tighten eligibility and reduce fraud, a policy that will affect millions of households if implemented broadly.
For states that opt into the Restaurant Meals Program, the policy choices will now come under closer public and legislative examination: which vendors are allowed, who can use the benefit to buy prepared food, and how states report that spending. The McSCUSE ME Act would push more of those decisions into federal statute while leaving some exceptions intact for the most vulnerable.
Reporting note: The analysis referenced in this article was provided by Sen. Joni Ernst’s office. The bill was introduced on Nov. 20, 2025. Agencies and state officials have not yet released comprehensive, independent national totals that reconcile the figures cited here.
