The deadline for Texas to indicate whether it will participate in a federal food assistance program to combat child hunger is fast approaching, and advocates are concerned the state is going to miss out on hundreds of millions of dollars for the second year in a row. The state must submit a notice of intent to participate in the 2025 Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program by Jan. 1.
Texas was one of 13 states that did not opt into the new program this year, which provided families with $120 per eligible school-aged child to help pay for groceries over the summer.
Celia Cole is the CEO of Feeding Texas, which is a network of 20 food banks in Texas. The group has been urging the state to offer Summer EBT.
"When Texas decided not to participate last summer it was really disappointing because we missed out, basically, on $450 million in food benefits that could have nourished over 3 and a half million Texas kids during the summer months," she said.
Texas officials previously told KUT that they did not have enough time to prepare to offer the program in 2024 because they needed funding from state lawmakers to operate it and the 88th regular legislative session had already ended.
Cole said she's worried the timing could be off again, since the notice of intent is due two weeks before the Legislature reconvenes in Austin. On top of that, she added, lawmakers would need to provide funding to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission by Mar. 1 to cover the administrative costs the agency will incur to run the program. Cole said, so far, it's not clear if the state plans to participate or whether HHSC will get the money it needs.
"We're not seeing those reassurances yet but we know there is support in the Legislature for Summer EBT," she said.
KUT News asked all three state agencies that have a hand in getting the program up and running whether Texas plans to participate next year. The Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Agriculture referred questions to HHSC, the agency that would lead implementation.
An HHSC spokesperson referred KUT News to a statement from Executive Commissioner Cecile Erwin Young contained in the agency's Legislative Appropriations Request for Fiscal Year 2026 and 2027.
"The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 authorized states to implement a permanent Summer Electronic Benefits (EBT) program to provide families with school-aged children food benefits during the summer months," Young said in the statement. "HHSC will work with the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), and the Legislature on this issue."
HHSC did not clarify whether this means Texas is going to submit a notice of intent by the Jan. 1 deadline in order to participate in Summer EBT next summer.
Cole said she knows HHSC has made progress on figuring out how to implement the program, but if it's not offered in 2025, kids will feel the brunt of it.
"We know from experience that child hunger spikes in the summer when kids lose out on [school] meals," she said. "And so to be able to provide this grocery benefit to families can really fill that gap."
Cole also pointed out it's not just children who benefit.
"These dollars that come through Summer EBT provide a significant boost to food retailers and local economies across the state," she said.
To that end, Feeding Texas looked at the number of eligible children in each county to estimate how much money could flow into local economies if the state implements Summer EBT.
In Travis County, for example, families could receive more than $11.2 million through the grocery benefit program. Williamson County families could see roughly $4.2 million in assistance, while the figure in Hays County is about $2.4 million.
Cole said she thinks all Texans can agree that no child should go hungry.
"We have a moral obligation to protect kids and make sure that their nourishment and their development is a top priority," she said. "We hope the Texas Legislature gets that funding and reassurance to HHSC in time for them to run the program in 2025."
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