Lansing-area residents who use Bridge Cards to buy hot meals at local restaurants could lose that option under a bill introduced in the U.S. House.

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, filed the Ending Restaurant Purchases with SNAP Act of 2026 in September. The bill would eliminate the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program's (SNAP) Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) nationwide. Michigan is one of only nine states that operate the program, according to WLNS.

The RMP allows SNAP recipients who are elderly, disabled, homeless or the spouse of an RMP participant to purchase prepared food at approved restaurants, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In Michigan, the Department of Health and Human Services administers the program through the Bridge Card system. SNAP serves about 37 million Americans nationwide.

Four Lansing restaurants participate in the program: Crack Chicken, Eastside Fish Fry, Just Munchies and Siraj Cuisine, according to the benefits platform Propel.

Michigan accounted for $1.3 million of the $524 million redeemed at RMP restaurants nationwide between June 2023 and May 2025, according to data the offices of Gill and Sen. Joni Ernst provided to Newsweek. California accounted for roughly $475 million of that total.

Gill called the program a "loophole" and said SNAP dollars should go toward groceries. "My bill ends this ridiculous loophole and makes sure SNAP dollars are used for what the program was created to do: help Americans afford nutritious groceries," Gill said in a statement to Newsweek.

The bill would preserve provisions allowing public and nonprofit organizations to provide meals, including home-delivered meals for some elderly and disabled recipients.

The proposal arrives as Lansing-area food banks report rising demand. Katelyn Cardoso of the Greater Lansing Food Bank told WILX on Aug. 25 that SNAP enrollment declines were outpacing expectations. Michigan's SNAP rolls fell 8.2% over the past year, dropping from about 1.47 million to roughly 1.35 million recipients, WILX reported.

The food bank saw a 7.9% increase in neighbors visiting its mobile food pantries and 300-plus partner sites over the course of 2026, Cardoso told WILX.

"We knew that we were going to see decreased enrollment and decreased benefits. But, it's happening a lot faster than we thought," Cardoso said at the time.

The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. No hearing date has been scheduled.