Texas will begin a summer lunch program in 2027, but only if feds don’t raise costs

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A new food program that would give low income families $120 per child to help feed them during the summer months could be coming to Texas in 2027.

Texas has never participated in the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) program, created in 2023, an offshoot of a similar pandemic program. But tucked inside the state’s $338 billion budget is a $60 million addition for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to administer such a program.

States have to pay 50% of the administrative cost to participate in the Summer EBT program, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that also goes by the name of Sun Bucks. That large investment could bring another $400 million in federal dollars to Texas.

However, ongoing talks at the federal level about slashing food benefits could endanger Texas’ participation in the Biden-era summer program.

A provision built into the budget change could cancel the appropriation if the current state-federal funding formula changes.

“If federal matching rates for the program or administration of the program are changed in a manner that result in a higher cost to Texas from the match rates in place on May 30, 2025, this appropriation is void,” the rider language states.

Families would qualify for the summer meal benefits if their children, even if they are home-schooled or attend private schools, qualify for free or reduced priced lunches during the school year. In 2024, a family of four with an annual income of $40,560 or less would be eligible for free school lunch. To qualify for a reduced school meal, that same family would have to make $57,720 or less.

For state Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, bringing the Summer EBT program to Texas was personal. Today, he lives not far from where he grew up in northeast Houston.

“We were on food stamps growing up,” he said. “I lived that experience of not having food.”

While HHSC would design and manage the program, it would also work in collaboration with the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Agriculture, which manages federal agriculture dollars that fund school lunches in Texas.

“TDA looks forward to continued collaboration with HHSC on their submission of a state plan, ” the agency said in a statement.

Summer EBT would complement existing food programs

The state’s agriculture agency already works with schools, cities and community groups to offer lunches during the summer for school-age children. Those institutional partners submit expenses for the lunches they served and are reimbursed for cost by the federal government, according to Lena Wilson, assistant commissioner for food and nutrition at TDA.

In 2024, there were 12 million summer meals (snacks and lunches) served to Texas children at 4,480 sites statewide at a cost of $46.1 million.

This existing USDA’s summer lunch program, which was piloted in 1968 and was made a full-fledged funding stream in 1975, does not require pre-registration or identification to access. The locations are selected primarily where children in need are located and is open to all children, even if they don’t live in the specific neighborhood. “It’s great,” said Catherine Wright-Steele, TDA’s commissioner of food and nutrition, because children can bring their younger siblings who aren’t attending schools yet or say a young friend or cousin visiting from out of town.

Some of the meals are prepared and served on site. At other locations, they can be more of a “grab-and-go” sack lunch offering.

“So many children who live in poverty in Texas. These programs all supplement each other,” Walle said of adding another summer program.

From an economic standpoint, bringing more federal dollars will put more customers in stores, he said. “It’s an economic benefit to the state of Texas,” Walle said.

Walle, who said he has been working on Summer EBT for the past 18 months, also credited bipartisan support in the House and Senate, as well as Gov. Greg Abbott.

For other food assistance groups, the inclusion of the rider has been welcome news.

“We’re thrilled that state lawmakers included funding in the budget to administer Summer EBT,” said Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, the state association of food banks. “Summer EBT fills this gap, ensuring that Texas kids stay nourished and ready to learn. The program is particularly important for a state like Texas, where 1 in 6 households are food insecure.”

What about cuts to federal programs right now? 

Right now, Congress is considering slashing the budget of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, what many people still refer to as food stamps.

As the rider currently reads, the Texas participation in Summer EBT could be in danger if the federal government forced states to pay more of the administrative cost or even a portion of the subsidy.

There’s been no word on whether the Summer EBT program could face cuts. For now, the state is moving to come up with a plan to submit to Washington.

Disclosure: Feeding Texas has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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