On August 13th, Congresswoman Lucy McBath and State Senator Jason Esteves called on Governor Brian Kemp to accept federal funding before an August 15th deadline that will help provide food over the summer for low-income kids who rely on school meals — funding that Kemp rejected for summer 2024. Last month, Rep. McBath sent a letter to Gov. Kemp urging him to accept the funding for summer 2025. Last week, McBath and Georgia’s entire Democratic Congressional delegation sent another letter to Gov. Kemp imploring him to accept federal dollars to feed Georgia children.

Georgia has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the nation. In some Georgia counties, one in four children lives in a food-insecure household. After Kemp opted out of summer EBT funding for 2024, reporting found that lower-income families struggled to put food on the table over the summer. Kemp’s rejection of the funding — which would have benefited an estimated 1 million Georgia kids and delivered $138 million to Georgians who need it — cost Georgia families $120 per child.

Governor Kemp’s refusal to feed kids in need is a stark contrast with the governor on the Democratic presidential ticket: Tim Walz, as Governor of Minnesota, made school lunches free for all public school students. Kemp is also in lockstep with Donald Trump on reducing access to school meals – Trump’s Project 2025 calls for slashing eligibility for free and reduced school lunch, reminding Georgians that Trump’s Project 2025 is Kemp’s Project 2024.

WATCH AND DOWNLOAD THE PRESS CALL HERE

“Without the federal summer EBT program, the governor’s office is refusing to feed our children. There are about 1.2 million children in Georgia who need this help, but they can’t get it because the governor is playing politics with the lives of our children. And as a mother, I’m enraged by that. Every single parent across this state should be incensed,” said U.S. Representative Lucy McBath. “How can anyone claim to be pro-family when they won’t fulfill the most basic needs of feeding our children? The most basic function of our job as elected officials is to ensure that our children have the resources that they need to thrive. And if our elected officials cannot fulfill that very basic duty, they don’t deserve to be in office.”

“I’ve seen firsthand how critical school meals are to ensuring not only that kids don’t go hungry, but that kids are able to learn. We know that children across this country, including here in Georgia, rely on school for many of their essential meals, including breakfast and lunch. For some, it’s the only place that they can ensure they get a meal every day,” said State Senator Jason Esteves, a former public school teacher and member of the Atlanta Board of Education. “The USDA summer EBT program is providing a necessary lifeline for children across the country. That program is not being utilized right here in Georgia. When asked about why he previously rejected this funding, Kemp’s office pointed to concerns about the program’s fiscal sustainability. Let’s not forget, though, that the governor is sitting on a multi-billion dollar – and that’s billion with a B – budget surplus. There’s no excuse for hoarding taxpayer dollars instead of investing in Georgia’s children.”