Governor Hochul Protects New York’s Free School Meals From Trump’s Cruel Cuts to Food Assistance

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced New York State will continue to fully fund its universal free school meals program despite President Trump's nationwide cuts to federal food assistance programs. By ensuring New York's program remains fully funded, Governor Hochul is protecting approximately 2.5 million free school meals per school day for kids across the state - and helping their families save up to $1,600 per child per year on groceries.

This past week,new reports revealed other states across the nation are now facing declines in free school meal participation due to the impacts of federal cuts and changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that are leading to Americans, including families with children, losing SNAP as a result of the Republican-led HR 1 bill that was passed last year and enacted by President Trump. However, those troubling impacts will not prevent New York schools from accessing the funds needed to continue providing free school meals. By continuing to fully fund the universal meals program that she launched last year, Governor Hochul is protecting millions of kids and their families from losing access to the free school meals they rely on.

"It's shameful that President Trump and Washington Republicans are trying to take free school meals away from our kids - and that's why I took action to ensure kids across New York won't lose access to the free school meals they rely on," Governor Hochul said. "While Trump keeps finding new ways to raise costs for hardworking families, I'll never stop fighting to protect our kids and help New Yorkers keep more money in their pockets."

New York's universal free school meals program was enacted by Governor Hochul last year and ensures that 2.7 million students across the state have access to free school breakfast and lunch. That law requires all school districts, charter schools and nonpublic schools that participate in the national school lunch and breakfast program to provide free breakfast and lunch meals to all students regardless of their families' income.

This year, Governor Hochul fought for and secured a $395 million statewide investment in universal free school meals as part of New York State's FY27 Enacted Budget - representing an increase of $55 million above the previous fiscal year. Due to this increased State funding and Governor Hochul's commitment to continue fully funding the program, the federal government's cuts to food assistance will not result in any New York schools receiving less funding for free meals - ensuring that no New York student would lose access.

With approximately 2.5 million free meals served per school day, State officials estimate that schools across New York have already served approximately 75 million free school meals since the current school year started in September. Free school meals are estimated to help families save up to $1,600 per child per year on grocery costs.

Children whose households participate in SNAP and Medicaid are directly certified for free school meals. Those who are not enrolled in SNAP or Medicaid can still apply for the program. For more information on eligibility and how to apply for the program, families are encouraged to visithttps://www.cn.nysed.gov.

Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas said, "Universal free school meals is an issue I care deeply about, and I fought to make this legislation a reality because no child should go hungry and no family should have to struggle to put food on the table. As a mother, I know how important it is to make sure our children have what they need to learn, grow, and thrive. I am proud that we fought for and won universal free school meals in New York, and I applaud Governor Hochul for fully funding the program and protecting it from the Trump administration's cruel cuts to food assistance. At a time when families are being squeezed by the rising cost of groceries, this investment puts money back in parents' pockets and ensures millions of children can count on a nutritious breakfast and lunch at school. Feeding our children is a responsibility we all share, and I will never stop fighting to make sure no child is left behind."