OKLAHOMA CITY — For the second year in a row, Oklahoma has turned down a federally funded program that would help feed kids during summer break. Governor Kevin Stitt is once again facing backlash after opting out of the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) program, better known as “Sun Bucks,” leaving roughly 300,000 eligible students in limbo.
According to an article from KOCO, Governor Stitt pointed fingers at the state’s Department of Human Services for not enrolling in the program: “I need to see why they didn’t do it this year, but originally it was gonna cost them software and 5 or 6 million dollars to set this program up and it wasn’t enough details about it,” he said in a statement to KOCO.
He also criticized President Biden’s rollout of the program, claiming that “a lot of that was politics. If they didn’t think the SNAP benefits were sufficient, they would’ve just upped those benefits, but it was a whole different program,” he told KOCO.
But for food advocates, the decision doesn’t just sound political—it sounds like abandonment.
“We’re disappointed that the state’s not participating in summer EBT,” Austin Prickett with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma told KOCO, citing increased demand and fewer safety nets if SNAP cuts pass through Congress. “Things can be scary and concerning that you see out there, but regional food banks will always have food available,” he said.
Oklahoma leaves $30 million in food aid on the table
The Sun Bucks program would have provided $120 per child to families on free or reduced lunch, funded entirely by the federal government, except for a small administrative cost. Oklahoma’s price tag to implement the program? Roughly $5 to $6 million.
Instead, that money will now go to the 35 states and U.S. territories that accepted the funding.
Last January, The Black Wall Street Times reported that Oklahoma’s decision to opt out of Sun Bucks in 2024 left nonprofits scrambling.
Not much has changed this year. Oklahoma is one of only seven states refusing food assistance despite rising child hunger rates.
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Who it harms: rural, Black and tribal communities
According to Feeding America, one in four children in Oklahoma faces food insecurity, and the rate climbs in historically marginalized areas.
While tribal nations like the Chickasaw, Choctaw and Cherokee are stepping in with their own summer EBT programs, their reach is limited. In the absence of state support, it’s nonprofits like the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma that are trying to fill the gap.
Prickett told KOCO that last year, the Regional Food Bank served 500,000 meals across 53 counties. Still, the need outpaces the resources.
“We know that it’s important for these kids to have nutrition all summer long, and we’re available at these sites for kids to pick these snacks and meals up for free,” Prickett said to KOCO. “We’re always looking to increase that every summer, and we know we’re not hitting everybody, and we’re really trying to.”
Stitt says he wants to help, but refuses federal aid
“We want to make sure all kids are fed through the school programs, summer programs,” Stitt told KOCO. “We’re giving money and supporting our local food banks around the state, and so if there’s a hungry kid in Oklahoma, we want to address that for sure.”
But his administration’s actions tell a different story.
By declining Sun Bucks twice, the state has rejected $30 million in federal food support for children. When KOCO reached out, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services declined to comment.
Hunger is a policy choice
Oklahoma’s refusal to participate isn’t about “not enough details.” The USDA made the program flexible and clear. Other red states accepted the funds. The only difference here is political will.
If Stitt wanted to feed hungry kids, the mechanism exists. The money exists. The crisis exists.
Oklahoma just chose not to act again.
Resources still available
While the state sits out, these organizations continue to serve:
- Summer EBT Program | Chickasaw Nation
- Summer EBT | Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
- Cherokee Nation Public Health | Summer EBT
- Food for Thought Oklahoma