Democrats blast Kemp for refusing federal funds for student summer meals

ATLANTA – Legislative Democrats urged Gov. Brian Kemp Tuesday to accept federal funding for a program that provides low-income children with free meals during the summer when school is not in session. Georgia is one of 12 states that did not participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer EBT Program this summer and isn’t planning to participate next summer. The state faces a deadline of Aug. 15 to commit to the program. “I’m enraged that Governor Kemp is choosing to disregard the needs of some of the most vulnerable families in Georgia,” U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, said Tuesday. “The state has to do better.” The Summer EBT Program provides pre-loaded cards to families with eligible school-aged children worth $40 a month, totaling $120 for the months school is not in session. Georgia suffers from one of the nation’s highest rates of food insecurity, said state Sen. Jason Esteves, D-Atlanta, a former teacher and former member of the Atlanta Board of Education. “In some counties, one in four children live in food-insecure households,” he said. “Sixty-four percent qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.” McBath and the other six Democrats in Georgia’s congressional delegation sent a letter last week asking...