Wyoming and Idaho families with kids may not have access to additional federal food assistance again next summer.
The states are among 13 yet to opt into the program known as Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer. The program provides $120 during the summer months for each school-age child who qualifies for free or reduced-price meals during the school year.
Kelsey Boone, senior child nutrition policy analyst at the Food Research and Action Center, said about 107,000 Idaho children would be eligible if the state participates in the program, although it does not look likely for 2026.
"Every time a state opts out of Summer EBT, they leave federal dollars on the table and leave children without critical nutrition support," Boone contended. "We strongly urge states to support families and opt in, in 2027 and beyond, and we urge lawmakers to protect Summer EBT funding."
Boone noted states attempting to replace Summer EBT with their own programs have largely failed to reach as many kids as the federal program. The deadline for states to sign up for Summer EBT is Jan. 1. Boone said a regulatory deadline passed in August without Idaho submitting a plan but it is unclear if it would keep the state from participating. Idaho, and Wyoming, did not participate in the program in 2025.
The state of Wyoming and some school districts offer other local summer school lunch programs.
Summer EBT began as a program during the pandemic to provide assistance to children. Boone pointed out households, especially those with children and families of color, are still struggling to recover from the pandemic. She added families are also facing an anticipated loss because of cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
"SNAP cuts will ripple through every child nutrition program, including Summer EBT," Boone projected. "As households with children lose access to SNAP, summer childhood hunger will rise, making Summer EBT even more essential."
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act cuts SNAP funding by $186 billion through 2034, the largest cut in the program's history.
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