What you need to know
Texas lawmakers included $60 million for the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer, or Summer EBT, program in the $338 billion state budget. Beginning in 2027, eligible low-income families would have received $120 per child to pay for groceries during the summer, when children are not receiving free meals at school.
Approximately 3.75 million Texas children would have qualified for the program, according to Feeding Texas, the state’s food bank network.
In a statement explaining the line-item veto, Abbott cited “significant uncertainty” as Congress considers slashing funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that federal spending legislation would reduce SNAP funding by about $287 billion through 2034, requiring states to spend more money to maintain the program.
“Once there is more clarity about the long-term fiscal ramifications for creating such a program, the Legislature can reconsider funding this item,” Abbott wrote.
As of press time, federal budget writers had not indicated whether they intended to cut Summer EBT funding. However, Texas hunger relief advocates said June 23 that Abbott’s funding concerns were “unfounded.”
“Summer EBT matching funds are not tied to SNAP rates, and we have no reason to believe they are at risk,” Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston; Rep. Toni Rose, D-Dallas; and No Kid Hungry Texas director Stacie Sanchez Hare said in a June 23 statement. “This decision has cost Texas families $450 million in benefits, a substantial loss that will have real, negative impacts on the health and well-being of our children.”
The federally-funded Summer EBT program would have brought about $450 million to Texas, with the state spending $60 million on administrative costs.
Put in perspective
In July 2024, roughly 51% of families with children in Texas public schools and 53% of rural Texans said they had experienced food insecurity in the previous 12 months due to costs, according to No Kid Hungry Texas, which advocates to end childhood hunger.
“This decision comes at a time when nearly 1 in 4 children in Texas already face food insecurity,” Feeding Texas CEO Celia Cole said in a June 23 statement. “Families across our state are struggling to put food on the table, and Summer EBT is a proven tool to help bridge that gap.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Texas had a 16.9% food insecurity rate in 2023—the second-highest in the nation.
Thirty-seven states currently participate in the Summer EBT program, which was created by Congress in 2022 and rolled out in 2024. When the program launched last summer, state officials told Community Impact that Texas did not join the program due to “current resource constraints at the state agencies, the level of effort needed to implement a new program and the need for new appropriations from the Legislature.”
One more thing
Texas families can access free meals at sites throughout the state, including public school campuses, churches and food banks. The meals are offered through the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Summer Meals program.
“Children should look forward to enjoying their summers, not fearing food insecurity because they don’t have school meals for almost three months,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said in a May 16 news release.
The meals, which vary by site and may include breakfast, lunch and snacks, are available to children 18 years old and younger, as well as older students with disabilities. Families do not need to register, apply or provide identification to receive meals, according to the TDA.
Sites are located in low-income areas, such as communities where over half of the children are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, the release said. Families can find information about local sites, operating hours and meal details at www.summerfood.org.
