Orlando Sentinel
- Millions of kids living in Republican states won't get federal grocery benefits this summer.
- Thirteen states opted out of a new federal summer nutritional assistance program.
- The non-participating states cited everything from technical issues to a dislike for welfare.
Millions of low-income kids across the US won't have access to federal grocery benefits over the summer because they live in states that opted out of the new program.
Last year, the Department of Agriculture introduced SUN Bucks, a permanent summer electronic benefit transfer program. The program gives eligible families $120 per child to buy groceries during the summer months. SUN Bucks is a $2.5 billion effort to keep kids fed and eating healthy while they're out of school.
The program targets low-income families who may struggle to put three healthy meals on the table each day. Tens of millions of children face increased hunger during the summer months without the certainty of free and reduced-price meals provided by schools. The Department of Agriculture estimated earlier this year that nearly 21 million children would benefit from SUN Bucks this summer.
During the pandemic, the federal government covered the entire cost of the Summer EBT program, but starting this summer, states will be on the hook to split administrative costs 50/50.
Thirteen Republican-led states ultimately opted out of the program this summer, citing myriad reasons, including redundancy, insufficient support, and politics.
Alabama
According to the state's Department of Health, one in four children in Alabama faces food insecurity. Those students won't have access to SUN Bucks this year.
Alabama lawmakers had already finalized the state's annual budget when they became aware of the program, according to local outlet WAFF.g
But the state has since budgeted $10 million to support the program next year, the outlet reported.
Alaska
Alaska cited logistical and technical problems as the cause for rejecting SUN Bucks this year.
The state's Department of Education and Early Development passed on participating in the program this year, telling local outlet Alaska News Source that the agency in charge of processing the benefits is already working through a backlog of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits.
The state will reconsider joining the summer program once the backlog is dealt with, the outlet reported.
Florida
Two million eligible Florida children won't receive SUN Bucks this summer after the state's Department of Children and Families insisted that already-existing programs are sufficiently addressing food insecurity.
A spokesperson with the Florida Department of Children and Families told local outlet WFSU that federal programs "always" come with strings attached.
Georgia
More than half of Georgia public school students qualify for free and reduced lunch, but the state chose not to participate in the federal summer food program this year.
A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Brian Kemp told local outlet 11 Alive that the state already has a summer food program in place.
"Therefore, along with our neighboring states, Georgia opted not to participate in the proposed EBT program and instead remains focused on well-established and effective programs that are tailored to address our state's specific needs by providing necessary nutrition and engagement to families and kids," the spokesperson told the outlet.
More than a million Georgia kids would have been eligible, according to USDA estimates.
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Idaho
Idaho's state senate rejected proposed funding for the SUN Bucks program earlier this year.
Republican Sen. Cindy Carlson suggested approving the program would be "sending the wrong message to parents and kids," according to Idaho Education News.
"I believe that the message we need to be sending is we all need to work for what we get," she said, per the outlet.
Iowa
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds rejected the SUN Bucks program in December, saying in a Health and Human Services press release that the benefit would do "nothing" to encourage nutrition amid the growing childhood obesity epidemic.
"If the Biden Administration and Congress want to make a real commitment to family well-being, they should invest in already existing programs and infrastructure at the state level and give us the flexibility to tailor them to our state's needs," Reynolds said.
About 240,000 Iowa kids would have been eligible for the benefit.
Mississippi
The Mississippi Department of Human Services ultimately declined to participate because the state government didn't have the resources or personnel to support the program, a spokesperson told the Magnolia Tribune.
More than 300,000 kids in Mississippi would have been eligible for the benefit.
Oklahoma
Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt said SUN Bucks was too new for Oklahoma to participate this year, citing the unvetted nature of the inaugural benefit.
"We gave over $20 million over the last couple of years to different food banks," he told local outlet KJRH. "So, we are satisfied that kids won't be going hungry in the summertime, we just don't know enough about the program; not saying we won't do it next year."
States that chose not to participate this year will have future opportunities to opt in, according to the Department of Agriculture.
Stitt also expressed skepticism about the Biden administration's involvement, the outlet reported.
"Certainly always a concern with certain administrations are pushing certain agenda items on kids," Stitt said.
Several Native American tribes within Oklahoma, however, are participating in SUN Bucks.
South Carolina
Republican Gov. Henry McMaster declined to participate in the Summer EBT program earlier this year, citing the program's pandemic ties and saying South Carolina needed to "get back to doing normal business," according to WCBD.
More than 500,000 kids would have qualified for SUN Bucks in the state.
Scott Olson
South Dakota
South Dakota said no to SUN Bucks, citing federal strings attached.
Iran Fury, chief of communications for Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, told Chalkbeat that the state has low unemployment and didn't want the administrative burden of facilitating the program.
"Federal money often comes with strings attached, and more of it is often not a good thing," Fury told the outlet.
Fifty-seven thousand South Dakota kids would have been eligible.
Texas
Texas passed on providing the benefits to 3.8 million kids who are eligible for SUN Bucks throughout the state.
According to The Texas Tribune, the state's Health and Human Services Commission made the final call, saying they didn't have enough time to implement the program successfully.
Wyoming
Wyoming officials opted out of SUN Bucks earlier this year, saying existing food assistance programs throughout the state were sufficient.
The state's Superintendent of Public Instruction, Megan Degenfelder, apparently didn't approve of the Biden admin's involvement, according to local outlet WyoFile.
"I will not let the Biden Administration weaponize summer school lunch programs to justify a new welfare program," Degenfelder told the outlet. "Thanks, but no thanks. We will continue to combat childhood hunger the Wyoming way."