Published December 17, 2025
This year, I have used the words unprecedented, harmful, chaos, and confusion too many times to count.
These words describe the largest cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in history that will cause millions to lose all or some of the grocery benefits they rely on to put food on the table; the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) decision to end the decades-old Household Food Security Report so the government is no longer tracking need or the impact of the cuts; and the many attacks on proven programs and policies that would reverse decades of progress in the fight to end hunger in the U.S.
Most recently, the unprecedented decision by USDA to not provide SNAP benefits for two weeks during the government shutdown created harm, chaos, and confusion for the 42 million people, including children, older adults, people with disabilities, and veterans, who rely on the program to put food on the table. That unnecessary crisis should serve as a cautionary tale of what is to come if the harmful provisions of the budget reconciliation law (H.R. 1) are allowed to take effect and millions lose access to the nutrition that fuels their health and well-being.
Every week in 2025 seemed to start or end with troubling, unprecedented news that would make things even harder for families already struggling. FRAC sounded the alarm. We made sure the harm made headlines. We mobilized advocates to put pressure on Congress. And we ensured the voices of people with lived experience were heard.
In the midst of all the chaos, FRAC continued to advance solutions.
The ongoing momentum for Healthy School Meals for All means that 60 percent of schools nationwide now offer meals at no charge to all of their students, giving millions more children access to the nutrition they need to fuel their health and learning without stigma or shame. New York became the ninth state to implement a statewide policy, joining California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Vermont. And our quick response to Congressional proposals to limit Healthy School Meals for All kept them from gaining any traction.
Healthy School Meals for All is an important antidote to the affordability crisis families are facing. Being able to count on breakfast and lunch every school day dramatically reduces the pressure on families’ grocery bills and household budgets. In addition, schools do not have to navigate collecting unpaid school meal fees from struggling families and have less administrative work, and can instead focus on providing more nutritious and appealing meals.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) was another bright spot. In community with our partners, we defeated proposals to reduce funding, which would have reduced the number of pregnant and postpartum individuals, infants, and young children who were served by the program, and taken fruits and vegetables away from them.
FRAC fully understands the importance and the impact that our work has on people throughout the country every day. For more than five decades, we have been the leading national organization focused on protecting, strengthening, and implementing the federal nutrition programs so they can serve the millions of families around the country who need them.
2026 will likely bring additional attacks on these critical programs. Fortunately, at FRAC, it is always the season of hope, because we know what is possible. We will continue to lead the charge to reverse the SNAP cuts in H.R. 1, while at the same time work to mitigate the harm and create new opportunities.
Together, we can build a nation free from hunger.
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