Congressional Georgia Democrats have banded together with a letter sent to Governor Brian Kemp (R), urging him to opt in to the Department of Agriculture’s EBT summer nutrition program for 2026. The delegation, led by Senator Raphael Warnock (D) and Rep. Lucy McBath (D), includes Senator Jon Ossoff (D), Rep. Hank Johnson (D), and Rep. Nikema Williams (D).
This issue has garnered attention because over one million children in Georgia are eligible to receive the EBT benefits, but Gov. Kemp has refused to opt the state into the program.
For context, summer is often the most challenging season for food-insecure children across the country, as millions of them rely on the federal school lunch program during the academic year. When the academic year ends, they are forced to go without regular access to nutritious meals due to their family’s low-income status.
The summer EBT nutrition program would assist low-income families by providing $40 in benefits per eligible child, which adds up to $120 for the summer season.
This program would mean a lot to Georgia, because nearly a quarter of its households don’t have enough food. This makes Georgia one of the most food-insecure states in the country.
In the letter sent to Gov. Kemp, the delegation cites all of these reasons and questions the Governor on his position. The letter states, “Additionally, your office never responded to either of our letters requesting that Georgia participate in Summer EBT in 2025 nor did your office provide families in our state with more information on how you came to the decision to not participate.”
The delegation also invoked the recent cuts made to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as to why the issue is so urgent.
They stated, “Because of these cuts, children will lose access to free and reduced priced school meals. Families in Georgia also needlessly face increased food insecurity during the summertime due to your refusal to participate in Summer EBT.”
The letter ends with the delegation urging the Governor not to miss the relevant deadlines and to engage the issue in good faith. It’s uncertain, though, whether Gov. Kemp will respond to this call and make a different decision.
