Originally Posted March 31, 2025, Updated May 14, 2025
Kelsey Boone
Summer EBT, in conjunction with the traditional summer meals programs, provides key nutrition support to children from households with low incomes when school is out, by providing families with approximately $120 on an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card per summer per eligible child to help with food costs during the summer months. Summer EBT is a method proven to decrease food insecurity and improve nutrition. This summer, 37 states and the District of Columbia, five territories, and five Tribal organizations have opted to participate in the program.
As part of the budget reconciliation process, Congress is currently considering significant cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. While Summer EBT is not explicitly included in the proposed cuts, any changes that limit participation in SNAP and Medicaid would have a negative ripple effect on Summer EBT, by making it more challenging for states to administer the program, which would result in fewer children receiving this important nutrition benefit.
SNAP and Medicaid’s Link to Summer EBT
Through a mechanism called categorical eligibility, any school-age student in a household participating in SNAP, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, as well as children who are homeless, migrant, or in foster care are automatically eligible for free school meals and can receive Summer EBT benefits without submitting an application Many states also use Medicaid data to directly certify children for free or reduced-price school meals.
Cuts to SNAP or Medicaid would impact Summer EBT by:
- Complicating the enrollment process: Families participating in means-tested programs are automatically eligible for Summer EBT, allowing them to bypass complex application processes. Losing access to SNAP would mean losing this direct link to Summer EBT eligibility, resulting in more children falling through the cracks.
- Increasing the administrative burden: With fewer children in households receiving SNAP and Medicaid, schools and administering agencies would be required to process more Summer EBT applications. At a time when states are facing challenges with tight budgets, limited workforces, and timeliness, any increase in requirements to reverse a well-established program would be disastrous, straining already stretched resources and personnel.
Changes to the Thrifty Food Plan
The Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to determine the weekly cost of buying food to maintain a healthy diet and sets the maximum SNAP monthly benefit. In 2021, a 21 percent increase was made to the TFP, the first adjustment outside of inflation adjustments in 50 years.
The current proposal would limit benefit re-evaluation to every five years. The Summer EBT statute ties any increase in benefits to changes to the Thrifty Food Plan. With changes only happening every five years, the Summer EBT benefit amount would quickly become inadequate, particularly at a time when the cost of groceries is expected to increase at a greater rate than average.
Protect Summer EBT — No Cuts to SNAP or Medicaid
Summer EBT is a vital program that ensures that children have access to the nutrition they need during the summer months. Any efforts to weaken SNAP or Medicaid will have ripple effects on the Summer EBT Program, causing higher administrative burdens on states, complicating the application process for families, and reducing the number of children eligible to participate. By protecting SNAP, we can ensure eligible children continue to have access to Summer EBT.
Contact your members of Congress using the FRAC Action Network and tell them to oppose any cuts to SNAP.
