For the second consecutive year, Gov. Bill Lee has opted out of a federally funded summer food assistance program that would have served hundreds of thousands of children in low-income families across Tennessee.
The deadline for the state to enroll in the federal Summer EBT program — created during the COVID-19 pandemic — was Jan. 1. Despite pleas from Democratic lawmakers, religious leaders and food-security advocates, Lee rejected the roughly $84 million in funds.
Lee faced criticism last year for declining the federal aid, citing high administrative costs as a reason for opting out. His office instead rolled out a $3 million state-funded food service program that provided a one-time $120 payment to eligible children in SNAP and TANF households — but did so in only 15 Tennessee counties identified by the state as unserved or underserved. Children in Davidson County were not eligible for the state program, though they would have received assistance under the federal initiative.
According to Metro Social Services, 7.2 percent of Davidson County households receive SNAP benefits. In the North Nashville ZIP code of 37208, the number of families who receive cash assistance or SNAP rises to 18.5 percent.
Governor’s office spokesperson Elizabeth Lane Johnson tells the Scene that Lee’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal will include additional investments in the state program.
“The [federal] Summer EBT program was established in the pandemic era to supplement existing food assistance programs and is mostly duplicative,” Johnson says. “As a greater share of the cost burden shifts to states, Tennessee is well-positioned to ensure children are fed in the summer months by bolstering our existing programs.”
Experts, families and government officials are unsure how food program will fare in hours before critical Nov. 1 deadline
State Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) condemned Lee’s decision to opt out of the program.
"Lee professes to govern through his faith, but here he is once again depriving hungry children of food while almost 20 percent of Tennessee children are experiencing food insecurity,” says Clemmons in a statement. “There is no sound fiscal or policy rationale for this cruelty. His consistent failure to appreciate and empathize with the everyday struggles of Tennessee families is inexcusable. What's worse is that Bill doesn't even have the decency to stand before the people and explain himself. It's absolutely shameless."
Lee’s rejection of the federal assistance additionally comes shortly after state Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis), chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus, penned a letter to Lee on Dec. 18 urging him to enroll in the Summer EBT program.
“The lapse in federal SNAP benefits during the federal government shutdown showed us that food insecurity is being felt across the state, particularly in rural communities,” Lamar wrote, “while rising housing and utility costs continue to shrink family food budgets and force parents to make impossible choices. In Alabama, Kentucky and Arkansas, the Summer EBT Program has proven to be an effective, federally funded tool for reducing childhood hunger and strengthening food security. Participation would allow eligible families to receive grocery benefits directly, while also supporting local grocers and strengthening Tennessee’s economy.”
Lamar additionally joined a bipartisan coalition of 33 Tenenssee mayors asking Lee to enroll in the program.
