New York will keep fully funding free school meals despite federal SNAP cuts, Hochul says
The state budgeted $395 million this year for universal breakfast and lunch, and says no school will get less meal money as federal food aid shrinks. The comptroller warns the state's costs could rise.
Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
- Gov. Kathy Hochul said New York will keep fully funding universal free school meals despite federal cuts to food assistance programs.
- The FY27 state budget includes $395 million for the program, $55 million more than the year before, the governor's office said.
- About 2.5 million free meals are served per school day, roughly 75 million since September; families save up to $1,600 per child per year, the state estimates.
- State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli warned that tighter SNAP and Medicaid rules under H.R. 1 could cut federal reimbursement and raise the state's share; SNAP rolls fell by nearly 273,000 from July 2025 to July 2026.
- Students in SNAP or Medicaid households are certified automatically; others can apply via cn.nysed.gov.
Free breakfast and lunch will stay on the menu in every participating New York school, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday, even as federal changes to food assistance squeeze programs in other states. The state will keep fully funding its universal free school meals program, according to the governor's announcement.
What the state is promising
The current state budget includes $395 million for universal school meals, $55 million more than the previous year, the governor's office said. Because of that money, the state says federal cuts to food assistance will not leave any New York school with less funding for free meals, and no student will lose access.
The law, passed last year, requires every school district, charter school and nonpublic school in the national school breakfast and lunch programs to serve both meals free to all students regardless of income. The state counts 2.7 million students with access and about 2.5 million free meals per school day, or roughly 75 million since classes started in September. It estimates families save up to $1,600 per child per year on groceries.
Why it matters now
Federal reimbursement for school meals is tied in part to how many students live in households on SNAP or Medicaid. The 2025 federal law known as H.R. 1 tightened eligibility for both programs, and State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli warned in a report this month that falling enrollment could reduce federal support and push more of the cost onto the state. New York received more than $1.1 billion in federal school meal funding in federal fiscal 2025, and the number of New Yorkers on SNAP fell by nearly 273,000 between July 2025 and July 2026, the comptroller said.
The governor's office pointed to reports that other states have seen school meal participation drop after the federal changes. CBS6 Albany also reported the announcement. Hochul is on the ballot Nov. 3 against Republican Bruce Blakeman.
What families need to do
Children in households that get SNAP or Medicaid are certified for free meals automatically. Families not enrolled in either can still apply; the state points parents to the State Education Department's child nutrition site for eligibility and application details.
- Office of the Governor of New YorkGovernor Hochul Protects New York's Free School Meals From Trump's Cruel Cuts to Food Assistance
- Office of the New York State ComptrollerDiNapoli: New York's Successful School Meal Expansion May Be at Risk Under Federal Changes
- CBS6 Albany (WRGB)Federal SNAP cuts threaten school meals nationwide as New York holds the line
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