NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee only plans to participate for one year in a federal program that gives low-income families $40 per child per month to pay for food while school is out, the governor’s office said Friday.
Tennessee is among 35 states, all five U.S. territories and four tribes that have opted into the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program, or Summer EBT, for this summer. Fifteen other states, all currently with Republican governors, won’t be participating.
Officials in President Joe Biden’s administration say the money is meant to supplement existing programs during the summer that have had a more limited reach.
In announcing Tennessee doesn’t plan to keep the benefit after one summer, Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s office echoed arguments from some of the states not participating, saying the initiative stemmed from a pandemic-era benefit and that other food assistance programs are in place.
“Tennessee enrolled in the Summer EBT program for FFY24 to ensure that families who depend on the benefits are served while the state returns to utilizing preexisting programs to meet the nutritional needs of children during summer months,” said Elizabeth Johnson, a spokesperson for Lee. “Established during the pandemic, Summer EBT was intended to supplement existing food assistance programs in extraordinary circumstances. We do not intend to enroll in future years.”