School meals are a cornerstone of the United States’ nutrition safety net for children from low-income families, providing nearly 30 million lunches daily. However, recent U.S. policy actions may limit access to school meals for children who need them most. This commentary, published in the Nutrients Special Issue The Influence of School Meals on Children and Adolescents, discusses the importance of federal school meal programs on children’s nutrition and health, and highlights the implications of recent U.S. federal policy changes on school meals. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act changed eligibility requirements to limit participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid, which impacts automatic enrollment in other need-based programs like school meals. Limiting participation in SNAP and Medicaid has the potential to significantly impact children’s ability to receive nutritious school meals at low or no cost, will make it harder for schools to participate in the community eligibility provision, and will increase the administrative burden on school staff and parents.