Duluth, GA —Today, Representative Lucy McBath (D-GA-07) led a letter of the Democratic Congressional Delegation of Georgia requesting more information on Governor Kemp’s decision to opt out of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer EBT Program (S-EBT), also known as “Sun Bucks.” Summer EBT provides low-income families with school-aged children a $40 benefit per eligible child per month, totaling a combined $120 dollars for the summer when school is out of session.
The letter is signed by Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff and Representatives Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Nikema Williams (GA-05), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), and David Scott (GA-13).
“Committing to participate in Summer EBT in 2025 is a simple, commonsense step that will ensure that every child in our state, regardless of where they live, has access to food when they need it most,” the letter reads. “States that refuse to participate in Summer EBT for unsubstantiated reasons are needlessly putting children in jeopardy during the summer months.”
With approximately 1.2 million low-income children eligible for this program, Georgia is one of only twelve states not participating for the summer of 2024 or planning to participate next Summer in 2025. With Georgia's “Happy Helpings” Summer Food Service Program absent in 59 of 159 Georgia counties last year, failing to opt into programs such as Summer EBT needlessly puts Georgia’s families at risk.
Governor Kemp’s office has yet to make clear whether the State will participate this upcoming year. Rep. McBath sent a letter in July outlining questions about the decision. The delegation letter requested more information about Governor Kemp’s decision and encouraged him to commit Georgia to participating in Summer of 2025 before the upcoming USDA deadline on August 15th, 2024.
The full text of the letter can be found here.