{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.fetterman.senate.gov/fetterman-colleagues-introduce-hot-rotisserie-chicken-act/", "Fetterman, Colleagues Introduce Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act", "2026-04-22", "2026", "2026-04", "Democrat", "Senate", "PA", "John Fetterman", "F000479", "www.fetterman.senate.gov", "fetterman", "https://www.fetterman.senate.gov/press-release/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Yesterday, U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) joined U.S. Senators Jim Justice (R-WV), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Michael Bennet (D-CO) in introducing the Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act to allow Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants to purchase hot rotisserie chicken with their benefits.\n\n\u201cAmerica\u2019s best (and delicious) affordability play is Costco\u2019s $4.99 rotisserie chicken ,\u201d said Senator Fetterman. \u201cIt\u2019s one of my family\u2019s favorites and I\u2019m proud to join this bill with Senator Justice for all to try. SNAP funds would be well spent to feed our nation\u2019s families who need it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAllowing folks on SNAP to buy hot rotisserie chickens is truly just commonsense. It\u2019s as basic as you can get to help busy parents or grandparents put something as simple as this on the table to feed their families. We have to give people the option to put a healthy, protein-dense choice on the table that actually tastes good and doesn\u2019t take an hour and a half to cook,\u201d said Senator Justice.\n\n\u201cAllowing SNAP recipients to purchase hot rotisserie chicken is a simple, practical step to make the program work better for the people it serves. For seniors, working families, and those without reliable access to cooking equipment, this is about convenience and dignity. With multiple states\u2014including West Virginia\u2014already requesting flexibility in this area, this bill brings SNAP in line with real-world needs while making smart, efficient use of taxpayer dollars,\u201d said Senator Capito.\n\n\u201cCongress should be making it easier, not harder, for families to put food on the table. This bill fixes an unnecessary barrier and helps Colorado families get a quick, nutritious meal when they need it,\u201d said Senator Bennet.\n\n\u201cThe HOT Rotisserie Chicken Act is a commonsense solution to an unnecessary problem. Right now, a SNAP family can buy a cold rotisserie chicken \u2014 but the moment it\u2019s hot, it\u2019s off limits. There is no nutritional difference. There is no logical difference. There is only an outdated technicality that forces grocery stores to heat chickens and cool them back down just to comply, wasting energy, degrading quality, and adding cost. Rotisserie chicken \u2013 a real food \u2013 is the most affordable complete protein in the grocery store. At around $7, it can feed an entire family. For the 42 million Americans on SNAP, that matters enormously. I want to thank Rep. Crawford, and Sens. Justice, Bennett, Fetterman, and Capito for their leadership on this no-cost, commonsense, and long overdue legislation. The National Chicken Council is proud to support it, and we urge Congress to pass it without delay,\u201d said NCC President Harrison Kircher.\n\nBackground on the Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act:\n\nHouse companion legislation is being led by Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) and was offered and withdrawn during House Farm Bill markup, which received support from both parties.\n\nCurrent statute does not allow the purchase of hot prepared foods under SNAP but does allow the purchase of cooked rotisserie chicken that has been cooled down.\n\nThe Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to modify the definition of food by adding \u201chot rotisserie chicken\u201d\n\nRotisserie chicken is unmatched in value \u2013 most costing around $5 at grocery stores \u2013 especially when factoring in how much time it saves.\n\nThis bill does not increase funding or participant eligibility for SNAP or allow all hot foods to be included for purchase\n\nIt also only applies to eligible retailers, maintaining that SNAP will not be expanded to restaurants.", 1, "2026-04-23T05:48:52Z", "2026-04-23T05:50:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.fetterman.senate.gov/fetterman-colleagues-introduce-hot-rotisserie-chicken-act/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 42.551830876618624, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}