Tennessee Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill in February that would require the state to apply for summer food funding following Gov. Bill Lee’s decision to forgo approximately $84 million from the federal government summer program, Sun Bucks, when he didn’t enroll by the Jan. 1 deadline.
The federal program provides an extra $120 in grocery benefits per school-aged child when school is out for families already participating in a variety of nutrition assistance programs. Tennessee opted out in 2025 but previously participated in the program.
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Late last year, before the deadline, county mayors across Tennessee, including Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, signed on to a letter urging Lee to restore the state’s participation. The letter, sent by the Tennessee Justice Center, was signed by officials from 38 counties.
Tennessee Rep. Greg Vital, R-Harrison, previously told the Chattanooga Times Free Press he supports Wamp’s desire to bring back the Sun Bucks program to Hamilton County.
The state announced Jan. 30 that it will run its own, much smaller summer food program, as it did in 2025, and put out a request to organizations interested in sponsoring the program.
In 2025, the state-run summer nutrition program allocated $3 million and was available in 15 counties, excluding Hamilton. It served approximately 25,000 children, according to the state’s initial announcement, compared to the federal program, which reached about 700,000, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
In a February press release, a group of community leaders that included clergy, civil rights organizations, health advocates and educators said, “Lee is playing the hunger games with children’s lives after rejecting the summer EBT program.”
Contact politics reporter Ruby Rayner at rrayner@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6556.