LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan taxpayers aren’t only paying for breakfast and lunches for students in this state, but other states as well.

That is because the federal government is covering the majority of the costs of providing breakfast and lunch to public school students across the country.

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Newsweek, the Associated Press, The New York Times, all call this “free lunches” because there is no upfront costs to the students.

The federal costs for “free” school breakfasts and lunches was $23.6 billion in 2024 and has increased by nearly $5 billion over the past five years.

In 2025-26, the cost for providing breakfast and lunch in Michigan is $1.17 billion, with the federal government covering $923.4 million of that cost, according to the Senate Fiscal Agency.