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When will federal cuts to free school lunches hit? [1]

['Hannah Gross']

Date: 2025-08-13 04:09:42+00:00

Credit: (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

Deep cuts to federal health and food programs in President Donald Trump’s signature legislative initiative will make it harder for students to access school meal programs.

School leaders are struggling to prepare for thousands of kids to lose access to free school lunch under the new law. Experts said the impact will be catastrophic, since school lunch is beneficial to students’ overall health and academic progress.

The cuts to school lunch are the latest in a string of cuts impacting children, including staff cuts at Head Start and previously frozen funds for summer and afterschool programs.

Children receiving Medicaid, which provides health insurance for low-income and disabled citizens, and SNAP, the country’s primary nutritional aid program, automatically qualify for free school meals. Expected declines in Medicaid and SNAP enrollment due to new eligibility restrictions will impact student access to free meals when the changes hit after the 2026 elections.

At a gathering of experts and lawmakers at Hudson County Schools of Technology organized by Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-10th), she urged local, state and federal leaders to work together to protect school meals. “We’re going to see cuts to programs such as SNAP and Medicaid, resulting in domino effects for the children we serve,” McIver said. “For many of our communities, these policies mean life or death.”

Receiving free or reduced-price school lunches reduces food insecurity, obesity rates and poor health, according to the Food Research and Action Center. School meal programs are also linked to improved school attendance, behavior and academic performance.

McIver’s testimony

McIver said she relied on school meals as a child and understands their importance on a personal level.

“I was a child that went to Newark Public Schools, and I would wake up early to get to the breakfast line to make sure I can have breakfast, so I wasn’t hungry all day,” McIver said. “There are so many kids and families living like that each and every day.”

In Jersey City, 42 of the district’s 45 schools offer free meals to all students, said Jersey City Public Schools Superintendent Norma Fernandez. The federal community eligibility provision allows schools like those in Jersey City to offer free meals to every student in schools where 25% of students are automatically certified for free lunch, such as those who receive Medicaid and SNAP.

Fewer will be eligible

Cuts to these federal assistance programs will mean fewer kids are directly certified, which means fewer schools will be eligible for the community eligibility provision, said Lisa Pitz, director of Hunger Free New Jersey.

“Children are vulnerable,” Fernandez said. “A parent who is worried about where the next meal is coming from is not coming to their children’s schools to talk about the new literacy program. They’re worried about feeding their families, having a roof over their heads.”

Offering wraparound services, such as meals and mental health support, is the “responsibility and moral duty” of school districts, Fernandez said. And feeding children will make the community healthier in the long run and save money, she said at the expert gathering, which took place Monday.

“As an educator, I see firsthand what it looks like for a student who is hungry,” said Erika Bermudez, a Jersey City teacher and parent. “We know what the cost of food is and how it’s impacting our pockets, and I can only imagine how it’s going to impact our students’ abilities to focus.”

Offering free meals at school helps improve learning and attendance, said state Commissioner of Education Kevin Dehmer. After the pandemic, many districts used free school meals to boost attendance and help bring students back to the classroom.

How school lunch programs work

The National School Lunch program has been federally run since it was established in 1946. Children who aren’t automatically eligible can apply and qualify based on their household income and family size. Children from families with incomes at or below 130% of the federal poverty level are eligible for free meals through the federal program.

In New Jersey, children with family incomes from 130% to 225% of the federal poverty level are also eligible for free school meals under a state law that went into effect for the 2024-25 school year.

Students must fill out a form to become eligible unless their school offers free meals to everyone under the federal community eligibility provision. Project 2025, the conservative playbook for Trump’s second term, calls for Congress to remove the community eligibility provision and stop funding summer meals. House Republicans floated a plan to cut the provision during budget reconciliation, but it failed.

‘As an educator, I see firsthand what it looks like for a student who is hungry.’ — Erika Bermudez, Jersey City teacher and parent

Since Trump took office, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ended a program that gave schools money to buy food from local farms and ranchers, canceling over $16 million in already approved funding for New Jersey.

If students lose access to federally funded school meals, many could still qualify under state guidelines. Some advocates are calling for New Jersey to join nine other states in offering universal school meals, but the state Legislature has not done so.

“The reality is, [the state] can’t pick up the tab on everything,” McIver said.

McIver and Rep. Rob Menendez (D-8th), who joined her at the event, said they will fight for school meals in Congress. Their Republican colleagues are also worried about the impact of the big Republican tax and spending bill on school meals since it will hurt their constituents, McIver said.

Signing up for school meals

Students can get free meals if they apply, but many families, especially those with mixed-immigration status, are scared to sign up.

“They’re afraid to put their names on these lists,” state Secretary of Agriculture Ed Wengryn said. “They don’t want to draw attention to themselves so they’re missing out on an opportunity.”

Fewer students are eating school meals at Hudson County Schools of Technology as concerns about increased immigration enforcement have grown under Trump, said Kevin Rodriguez, the head cook at the Schools of Technology. “The students are afraid to come in,” Rodriguez said.

A stigma surrounding the turning in of school lunch forms also needs to be addressed, said Kristen Hart, athletic supervisor at McNair High School in Jersey City. This stigma can be so strong that some children don’t want to eat, according to research from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

— Benjamin J. Hulac contributed reporting.

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[1] Url: https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/08/when-trump-administration-cuts-are-expected-to-hit-free-school-lunch-access/

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