ATLANTA — Congresswoman Lucy McBath is calling on Gov. Brian Kemp to change his mind when it comes to participating in a federal summer meal program that could benefit more than 1 million kids in Georgia.
"I’m enraged," Rep. McBath said on a Zoom call with reporters on Tuesday. "That this governor, Governor Kemp is choosing to disregard the needs of the most vulnerable families in the state of Georgia."
The congresswoman was joined by State Sen. and fellow Democrat Jason Esteves on the call, where both reiterated the need for further support for Georgia families ahead of a federal deadline for the program.
"I was a single mother during the recession with my son Jordan," Rep. McBath added, "and I know how hard it can be to make ends meet."
11Alive first reported on the governor's decision back in January to reject tens of millions of dollars in federal funding from the USDA "SUN Bucks" program, also known formally as the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children (Summer EBT) program.
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On Thursday, August 15, states are supposed to let the USDA know if they intend to participate by submitting an interim plan of operation and management. That plan allows states to begin accessing administrative funding needed for Summer EBT, though it's not the final deadline for participation.
"While FNS strongly encourages Summer EBT agencies to meet this deadline, FNS will continue to accept notices of intent to operate in 2025 by the January 1 statutory deadline," documents from the USDA show.
Yet, congressional Democrats in Georgia are using that timeline to push for clarity from Gov. Kemp and are asking him to re-consider the Peach State's non-participation. Georgia is one of 12 states that did not participate this year in Summer EBT, the USDA confirmed back in July.
During Tuesday's call, Rep. McBath confirmed she has not received any response from the Governor's office after sending a letter last week pushing for more information on the state's decision to opt out. Those signing the letter included Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff and the state's full delegation of House Democrats. Rep. McBath also sent a letter to the governor's office in July.
“We can confirm we’ve received the letter," Garrison Douglas, a spokesman for the governor, said in a statement,. "While it is disappointing that the Biden administration continues to ignore reasonable concerns surrounding the program’s lack of nutrition standards and fiscal sustainability, we will continue to promote the many successful programs Georgia already has in place, the most notable being GaDOE’s Seamless Summer Option, which alone provided millions of breakfast and lunch meals to students statewide last year and are tailored to address our state’s specific needs by providing necessary nutrition and engagement to families and kids.”
According to the Food Research and Action Center, Georgia participating in Summer EBT would have potential to reach more than 1 million kids in Georgia and would bring more than $138 million in federal funding to the state.
While the Governor's Office points to the existing state programs such as Seamless Summer Option, Democratic leaders in their letter debated the success of those programs -- asserting that some Georgia counties continue to have no summer meal sites at all and that the needs of families in Georgia are "not being met."
If Georgia did opt in to Summer EBT at some point, the state would have to cover around around $4.5 million in administrative costs for the program. Democrats like McBath and Esteves contend that's easy to cover, considering Georgia's budget surplus.
"Let’s not forget," Esteves said, "that the governor is sitting on a multi-billion dollar, billion with a b, budget surplus."
The USDA also recently announced grant funding to help states with the costs of administering Summer EBT.
11Alive's Liza Lucas has asked Gov. Kemp's office on several occasions over the past months if the state could implement Summer EBT in the future or would consider using the surplus funds to cover administrative costs. There's yet to be a clear response indicating the future of Summer EBT in Georgia, or if it's off the table entirely.