Federal changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are expected to impact free school meals for students in Macon, Georgia. The budget reconciliation package known as HR 1, or the “Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” signed into law by President Donald Trump in July, includes SNAP cuts estimated at billions of dollars over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
The new law shifts some costs from federal programs to states, requiring Georgia and other states to consider either reducing other programs or increasing their share of costs. One area affected is the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows eligible schools to provide free meals to all students regardless of family income. Under current rules, families receiving SNAP benefits automatically qualify their children for free and reduced-price meals through direct certification—a key measure of poverty in Georgia.
In fiscal year 2024, more than 1.4 million Georgians—about 13% of the state’s population—received SNAP benefits. Of those recipients, 69% were in families with children.
All Bibb County School District students currently receive free breakfast and lunch under CEP, with after-school snacks at participating schools. District spokesperson Stephanie Hartley said that since CEP was implemented in Bibb Schools in 2014 and all district schools are designated as Title I due to high poverty levels, the district relies on state and Department of Family and Children Services data for direct certification so that families do not need to submit additional paperwork. “CEP allows the district to support the whole child’s well-being without putting any burden on families,” she said in an email.
For the 2023–24 school year, Georgia districts had an average direct certification rate of nearly 63%. Erin Hysom, senior child nutrition policy analyst for the Food Research and Action Center, called these changes “devastating” and “unprecedented.” She added: “As fewer children are enrolled in SNAP, fewer schools will be able to offer all students free school meals through community eligibility. SNAP provides the direct link between eligible children and free school meals.”
Hysom also noted that even schools remaining eligible could receive less federal reimbursement under these changes, making it harder for them to maintain universal meal programs since SNAP is a primary pathway for automatic eligibility.
Georgia Democrats Sen. Jon Ossoff and Rep. Sanford Bishop opposed HR 1 earlier this year because they warned it could force states like Georgia to scale back or eliminate health care programs. Bishop said new administrative requirements and exceptions for certain states would place extra burdens on Georgia; he estimated millions could lose food assistance while children’s access to school meals would be threatened.
Lisa Morgan, president of the Georgia Association of Educators, previously stated that without automatic SNAP qualification paperwork burdens would increase and more students could miss out on meals.
While Hartley did not comment on whether Bibb County Schools have seen any effects yet from these changes, Hysom said most schools were waiting for guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as they try to connect eligible children with free school meals before anticipated impacts take hold.
HR 1 expands work requirements up to age 64 for individuals receiving SNAP benefits starting in October 2026; it also requires states with high payment error rates to begin sharing costs in 2028 and narrows eligibility criteria for some immigrants.
Nutrition advocates warn that these provisions may increase food insecurity and create more administrative challenges for families—especially where local child hunger has been rising recently.
“There’s a multitude of cuts that will reduce families’ and household SNAP benefit amount,” Hymon said. “They might stop jumping through hurdles to get a SNAP benefit amount that really doesn’t support their needs, particularly at a time of rising food costs.” Hymon added that expanded work requirements could decrease available food resources so children may become even more dependent on school meal programs.
At a meeting held September 4th by the Georgia Department of Human Services (GDHS), officials discussed amending budget requests for fiscal years 2026–27 due to federal funding changes impacting low-income assistance delivered via EBT cards—currently about $300 million annually—with Deputy Commissioner Demetrius Taylor noting: “In order to continue to administer the SNAP program we’re requesting state general funds to meet our 75% obligation starting in October of 2026.”
Ellen Brown, GDHS spokesperson, explained: “In regard to the specific provisions of this bill we continue to review how it will impact the agency and our operations as those provisions go into effect across the next several years… We are assessing what those changes will be so we have time to work through them.” She referred questions about student meal eligibility back to state education officials but emphasized ongoing discussions between agencies as budget planning continues.
