Media Contact:
Jordan Baker
jbaker@frac.org
202-640-1118
Statement attributable to Crystal FitzSimons, interim president,
Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
WASHINGTON, April 30, 2025 — While school meals appear to be spared from the budget chopping block, the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) is deeply troubled that the House Education and Workforce Committee is proposing to cut more than $330 billion from federal student aid programs for college students with low incomes. At a time when these students, most of whom are first-generation college students, are already struggling to afford their basic needs, cuts to student aid would make matters even worse.
Federal student aid is a lifeline for students from households with low incomes. For these students, programs like Pell Grants can be the tipping point between completing college or dropping out. Yet despite knowing the critical role of student aid, some lawmakers want to weaken it.
A 2024 U.S. Government Accountability Office report found that nearly 3.8 million college students experienced food insecurity in 2020 and that these students were likely to have lower grades and less likely to graduate than their peers. Other research echoes these findings, noting that many struggling college students skip meals, work long hours, experience housing insecurity, and are constantly forced to choose between paying for textbooks and buying groceries. These challenges are even more visible for students who are financially independent from their parents, raising children, living with disabilities, or from communities that have faced systemic barriers like Black, Latinx, and Indigenous — making them less likely to graduate compared to their peers.
Rather than addressing these issues head on with proven solutions, the proposal punishes students who were not born into wealth and legacy. College remains one of the most viable pathways to economic stability and upward mobility, and the opportunity for higher education should be for all, not a few. Investing in students today strengthens our country’s economic future. Research shows that individuals with a college degree are less likely to need federal program assistance like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), our nation’s first line of defense against hunger, in the future.
As Congress continues through the reconciliation process, FRAC urges lawmakers to reject these harmful cuts and instead advance policies that reduce hunger and increase access to higher education, and ensure that all — not just wealthy and legacy students — have the resources they need to succeed.
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The Food Research & Action Center improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.
