Texas turns down $350M in summer food assistance for children, citing lack of resources

Texas is passing up nearly $350 million in federal aid to help feed millions of low-income children during the summer months after a state agency said it lacked the time and resources to implement the program this year.

Summer EBT, a new U.S. Department of Agriculture program approved by Congress in 2022, will provide families in participating states with funds to buy groceries to fill the void when their children are not receiving meals at school. The benefits — $40 per eligible child per month — will be dispensed via “electronic benefit transfer” cards, similar to a prepaid debit card, for three months.

The majority of states, as well as several territories and tribal nations, have signed onto the program. Texas is among a minority of 16 states not participating.

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USDA spokesperson Allan Rodriguez pushed back on Texas health officials’ reasoning, saying the agency provided an “unprecedented level of guidance and support” to states in the months leading up to the rollout.

“The fact that 44 states, territories and tribes are moving forward in the program’s inaugural year shows that states have had the information they needed,” Rodriguez said. “Those that do not launch the program this summer will have future opportunities to opt-in, and we will keep working with every state and tribe to set them up for success in doing so.”