Krishnamoorthi Demands USDA Action as Trump-Backed SNAP Cuts Put Free School Meals at Risk

WASHINGTON - Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) today demanded immediate action from the Trump Administration to protect children's access to free school meals as historic cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act take effect. In a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Food and Nutrition Administration Acting Administrator Shiela Corley, Krishnamoorthi warned that the cuts are already putting additional pressure on school meal programs in Illinois and across the country.

New data show Illinois has 47 fewer schools and 15 fewer school districts participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) this school year, with nearly 24,000 fewer Illinois students attending schools that provide free meals to all students through the program. Illinois was one of only three states to experience the largest declines nationwide in the number of schools participating in CEP.

In the letter, Krishnamoorthi writes:

"I am writing regarding the severe impact that cuts under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) are having on children's access to school meals as students across Illinois and the country return to the classroom. I strongly urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) to take immediate action to protect children's access to nutritious school meals, particularly in Illinois communities already experiencing losses in free meal eligibility as a result of the law's cuts to SNAP."

The OBBBA, enacted by Congress and the Trump Administration in July 2025, imposed new SNAP eligibility and work requirements while making the largest cuts to SNAP in the program's history. Since the law took effect, an estimated 4.5 million people, including 1.5 million children, have lost SNAP benefits nationwide. In Illinois, more than 300,000 people are expected to lose benefits because of the new work and paperwork requirements alone, while SNAP enrollment has already fallen 16 percent in the year since the law's enactment.

Those losses can follow children directly into the classroom. Students enrolled in SNAP are automatically certified for free school meals without having to submit a separate household application. When families lose SNAP, children can lose that automatic eligibility even when their underlying need for food assistance has not changed.

Krishnamoorthi writes:

"A paperwork failure by one household should not become a food insecurity problem for hundreds of children. If enough families lose direct certification, an entire school can lose access to CEP and its ability to provide free meals to every student."

Under CEP, schools and districts where at least 25 percent of students are directly certified through SNAP, Medicaid, or other qualifying programs can provide free breakfast and lunch to all students without collecting individual household applications. As families lose SNAP because of new paperwork requirements, schools can fall below that threshold and lose CEP eligibility.

Krishnamoorthi is demanding that USDA and FNA conduct an immediate state-by-state assessment of the impact of the OBBBA's SNAP eligibility changes on children's access to school meals and make the results public. He is also seeking answers to the following questions:

1. How many children have lost direct certification for free school meals as a result of losing SNAP benefits since the OBBBA took effect, both nationwide and in each state?
2. How many schools and school districts have lost, or are at risk of losing, CEP eligibility as a result of changes in SNAP participation, and how many students attend those schools?
3. What steps are USDA and FNA taking to prevent children who lose direct certification from losing access to free school meals and to help schools preserve CEP eligibility?
4. Which states and communities face the greatest risk of reduced access to school meals as a result of these changes, and what assistance are USDA and FNA providing to them?

Krishnamoorthi requested responses to his questions and the results of the state-by-state assessment by September 10, 2026. He also requested that USDA make the assessment public so states, school districts, and families can understand the effects of the changes and the steps being taken to address them.

Congressman Krishnamoorthi's letter is available here.