Millions of Americans could lose McDonald’s perk under new plan

The Golden Arches stands to lose its super-sized government windfall under a plan from a senior Republican Senator. It’s an ironic twist for the fast-food giant that became a 2024 campaign icon after Donald Trump’s viral shift behind the counter helped him gain blue-collar street cred. Trump has long loved the fast-food chain, praising its $5 extra value meals and thanking the restaurant for slashing its prices. Trump even spoke at the McDonald’s Impact Summit earlier this week, where he remarked he was ‘honored to stand before [the audience] as the very first former McDonald’s fry cook ever to become president of the United States.’

But Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is looking to close a loophole that presently allows millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to be spent at fast food chains via a component of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. The Restaurant Meals Program (RMP), which allows SNAP funds to be spent on fast foods, exists in primarily Democrat-led states as well as Virginia, which is led by a Republican. USDA data shows that under the Biden administration, the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) greatly expanded beyond its original mission of feeding the homeless and hungry families, to the point that now additional millions of dollars have gone to fast-food chains.

‘SNAP is supposed to keep food on the table for hungry Americans, not be a golden goose for the Golden Arches,’ Ernst exclusively told the Daily Mail. ‘Fast food is delicious and convenient, especially when you’re hungry, but we cannot forget that the ‘N’ in SNAP stands for nutrition. My McSCUSE ME Act provides a real extra value meal for both taxpayers and program recipients,’ Ernst added. The White House declined to comment on Ernst’s legislation and the bill does not have any co-sponsors, leaving its ultimate fate in doubt.

The intent behind the program was to allow homeless individuals who lack access to kitchens or food preparation facilities to purchase prepared meals using SNAP benefits. Over time, eligibility was expanded to include disabled and elderly individuals, along with their spouses. From June 2023 to May 2025, over $475 million in taxpayer dollars was spent and redeemed at fast-food restaurants in California alone. In total, $524 million went out through RMP. The RMP program currently exists in Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia as only those states have opted in.

Historically, participation was limited to a small number of restaurants within select counties. In recent years, however, the program has ballooned at an alarming rate, particularly in California, where state officials and the Biden-controlled USDA authorized more than 5,800 restaurants to accept SNAP benefits. The vast majority are large national fast-food chains such as McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell, Denny’s, Popeyes Chicken, Carl’s Jr., Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza, Jack in the Box, Panda Express, and Wendy’s. In many cases, these fast-food vendors are boldly advertising with signs saying ‘EBT Accepted Here!’.

Ernst’s McSCUSE ME Act seeks to change three elements of the RMP program. First, it continues to allow homeless, elderly, and disabled individuals to participate while removing automatic spousal eligibility. It also requires a public annual report to show the number of participating vendors, the number of participating beneficiaries, and the total program costs. Amid the government shutdown, the pervasive usage of SNAP was brought into the public discourse. The program disburses funds on a monthly basis onto a debit card, which recipients can use to buy grocery items.

42 million Americans receive money from the entire SNAP program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which the Trump administration is now looking to make significant changes to. The exact number of RMP users is not presently known, which is why Ernst’s bill calls for additional transparency. The USDA is now looking to ‘completely deconstruct,’ per a statement from the Department that was shared with Newsweek . Pending changes to the program include a recertification of eligibility and crackdowns on fraud, but the timeline for implementing the new SNAP plans and changes has yet to be determined.

Rollins called the move ‘an unintended consequence of the Democrats shutting the government down for 43 days, ‘shined this very bright light on one of their pet programs and now has given us a platform to completely deconstruct the program.’ The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ government funding package passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump this past summer had already set in motion changes to the SNAP program with the addition of work requirements.