Nearly 1.8 million children could lose automatic access to free school lunches under a new federal proposal. Per Reuters, President Donald Trump‘s administration has proposed changes to food assistance eligibility that could also affect 6.3 million Americans receiving SNAP benefits.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture introduced the proposal on November 10, 2026, seeking to restrict how households qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The changes are not yet final, but they could affect families who currently receive food assistance through state-administered programs.
How the Proposed SNAP Changes Affect School Lunch Eligibility
The proposal focuses on broad-based categorical eligibility, a policy allowing states to automatically qualify certain households for SNAP through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Currently, families receiving qualifying TANF-funded assistance can access SNAP without separately meeting some federal income and asset requirements.
Under the proposed rule, automatic eligibility would become more restrictive. Some households would need to satisfy SNAP’s standard requirements to continue receiving benefits.
The consequences could extend to schools because children whose families receive SNAP generally qualify for free meals without submitting separate applications.
Per the USDA‘s regulatory analysis, approximately 1.78 million children could lose this automatic eligibility.
However, the agency estimates that 1.66 million would remain eligible for free meals through another application process. Another 93,000 could qualify for reduced-price meals, while roughly 28,000 could become ineligible for both free and reduced-price meals.
Millions More Americans Could Lose SNAP Benefits
The proposal follows earlier SNAP restrictions included in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending legislation, signed into law in July 2025.
More than 5.5 million Americans have already lost benefits following those changes, bringing participation to approximately 36 million, Reuters reports.
The latest proposal could remove another 6.3 million recipients, representing nearly 18 percent of the program’s participants.
The USDA argues that tightening eligibility would help “preserve benefits for the truly needy.”
The agency maintains that existing rules allow some households exceeding federal income or asset limits to receive assistance through state eligibility provisions.
School Districts Could Face Additional Applications
Beyond changes to household benefits, the proposal could create additional paperwork for families seeking school meal assistance.
The USDA estimates that school districts would need to process approximately 197,000 additional applications, potentially increasing administrative costs.
Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, criticized the proposed restrictions.
“This move by the Trump administration to take food assistance away from millions more elderly Americans and children is heartless and cruel,” Craig said in a statement.
“The proposed rule would make it harder to meet basic needs and roll back efforts to streamline federal programs.”
The USDA also projects potential effects on summer food assistance and nutrition benefits for women, infants, and children.
For now, families’ eligibility remains unchanged under this proposal. The public can submit comments through December 10, 2026, before the USDA considers finalizing the rule.
