Upward Mobility Act of 2026

This bill would create a pilot program letting up to 5 states combine federal funds from several aid programs, including SNAP food benefits, TANF cash aid, child care grants, home energy aid, dislocated worker services, community development grants, and housing vouchers and public housing funds, into a single yearly Upward Mobility Grant for 5 years. Participating states could ask the federal government to waive rules on eligibility, program design, and use of funds, but not rules on civil rights, health and safety, labor standards, environmental protection, or benefits for noncitizens. Grants would equal the state's prior-year funding from these programs, adjusted for inflation. Recipients would be subject to SNAP work requirements, and each state would have to pay for an annual independent evaluation of employment, earnings, poverty, and how much benefits drop as income rises. Some federal agency duties tied to these programs would shift to the Administration for Children and Families.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Jon Husted Republican sponsor
• 2 cosponsors