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The bill expands and stabilizes meal access for low-income children—including during summers and school closures—and provides short-term implementation funding, but it increases federal spending and shifts some longer-term administrative costs and funding risk onto state/tribal budgets.
Low-income children and their families will receive expanded, year-round meal access: starting in 2025 eligible children get higher summer and school-closure meal benefits (at least breakfast, lunch, and a snack per eligible day) and continuity of benefits during multi-day school closures, reducing summer and closure-related food insecurity.
State and Tribal governments receive temporary full (100% in FY2026, then phased down) federal reimbursement for administrative costs, easing near-term implementation and reducing initial local budget pressure.
Provides a one-time $50 million transfer for state data-system development and upgrades to implement the expanded program, supporting faster rollout and smoother administration.
Taxpayers will bear increased federal costs to fund higher per-child benefits and the expanded eligibility, raising federal spending obligations.
Over time, States and Tribal organizations will face greater financial responsibility as federal reimbursement for administrative costs phases down to 50% by FY2031, shifting more ongoing admin costs to local budgets.
The one-time $50 million transfer and grants rely on advance appropriations; funding uncertainty could delay system upgrades and grant awards, slowing implementation and access to expanded benefits.
Expands Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (summer EBT) so children get benefits not only during summer months but also during qualifying school closure periods; raises the per-child benefit floor starting in 2025 to at least the value of a free breakfast, free lunch, and a snack for each eligible day. Requires the USDA to run a one-time implementation grant program to help states and Tribal organizations upgrade data systems and provides a $50 million transfer on October 1, 2025 to support those grants. Federal reimbursement for state/covered Indian Tribal Organization (ITO) administrative costs is temporarily increased then phased from 100% in FY2026 down to 50% in FY2031 and thereafter.
Introduced May 6, 2025 by Mike Levin · Last progress May 6, 2025