Raphael Warnock (D-GA)
Commissary Healthy Options and servicemember Welfare (CHOW) Act
A Democratic bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Commissary Healthy Options and servicemember Welfare (CHOW) Act authorizes the Secretary of Defense to run a pilot program. This program would provide monthly coupons to junior enlisted members of the Armed Forces. These coupons are intended to be used specifically to purchase food at commissaries. The pilot program is meant to be tested at two different military installations. The Secretary will determine the amount of the coupons provided. The program must end no later than one year after it begins.
Yes· 3 of 5
- Scored +3
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
The coupons provide additional financial resources specifically for purchasing food for junior enlisted members.
- Scored +3
Is this likely to lift people out of poverty?
The bill provides supplemental food coupons to junior enlisted members to address food insecurity.
- Scored +2
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?
The bill targets junior enlisted members, who are typically in a younger demographic, by providing food assistance coupons.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Access to healthy and affordable food: The bill aims to help members and their families access affordable and healthy food options, particularly for unaccompanied junior enlisted members living in government quarters (Section 2, subsection a).
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Increased food availability: The program seeks to assess how coupons can increase the availability of nutritious food options for members, especially those living in unaccompanied housing (Section 2, subsection b, paragraph 5, subparagraph A, clause v).
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Addressing food insecurity: The pilot program is designed to evaluate its efficacy in reducing food insecurity rates among junior enlisted members (Section 2, subsection b, paragraph 5, subparagraph A, clause v).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Restrictions on coupon use: Coupons cannot be used to purchase alcoholic beverages or tobacco (Section 2, subsection b, paragraph 3, subparagraph B, clause ii).
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Restrictions on deposit fees: Coupons cannot be used to pay any deposit fee that exceeds the required state fee reimbursement for food in returnable bottles or cans (Section 2, subsection b, paragraph 3, subparagraph B, clause ii).
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No replacement of existing benefits: The coupons are intended to supplement, not replace, the basic allowance for subsistence or any existing programs that provide meals or rations (Section 2, subsection b, paragraph 3, subparagraph C).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The coupons provide additional financial resources specifically for purchasing food for junior enlisted members. Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together? — The bill provides direct economic support for the food needs of junior enlisted service members. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — The bill targets junior enlisted members, who are typically in a younger demographic, by providing food assistance coupons.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — The bill provides supplemental food coupons to junior enlisted members to address food insecurity.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this increase the pay, pensions or support veterans receive? — The bill provides financial support for food through a pilot program for junior enlisted members of the Armed Forces.
- 9/11/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Roger MarshallRepublican · Kansas