Published May 2, 2025

This week, the House Education and Workforce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the federal child nutrition programs, including school breakfast and lunch, unveiled legislation that would cut $330 billion in federal spending by gutting higher education programs and support. This bill was passed out of committee and now heads to the Budget Committee, where it will be bundled with other committee bills before it is considered on the House Floor.  

No cuts to the federal child nutrition programs were included in the House Education and Workforce Committee’s bill, despite initial proposals from the Chair of the House Budget Committee that would have drastically weakened the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and increased the verification burden on schools and families.  

Even though the Committee did not include direct cuts to school meals, the reconciliation process continues to move forward, and proposals to cut programs could be incorporated at various points in that process. Advocacy is still needed to protect access to school meals and stop the proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid.  

Cuts to SNAP and Medicaid are cuts to school meals.  

  • Children are directly certified for free school meals if their household participates in SNAP, and most states directly certify children for free and/or reduced-price school meals using Medicaid data and a means test. If Congress cuts SNAP or Medicaid and children lose access to these programs, they will also lose their direct connection to free or reduced-price school meals and will have to complete a school meal application. This additional paperwork would burden families and school nutrition staff, and some eligible children will fall through the cracks.  
  • These cuts would also reduce the number of schools able to offer free meals to all students through CEP. Fewer schools would be eligible for CEP, and it would be less financially viable for those schools that remain eligible because reimbursements are primarily determined by the number of students who are directly certified.  

Cuts to SNAP and Medicaid would also negatively impact participation in the Summer EBT Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). 

What’s next? House GOP leadership continues to work toward a unified budget reconciliation bill. Other committees are expected to mark up their sections over the next few weeks, with the House Agriculture Committee (which has jurisdiction over SNAP) expected to mark-up the week of May 12. Keep the pressure on all Members of Congress and urge them to oppose and speak out against proposals to cut, gut, or weaken SNAP, Medicaid, and school meals.  

It is critical that all Members of Congress understand the role school meals play in their communities and the impact that any cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and school meals would have on children, families, and schools in their district and state.