Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s quiet decision to forgo $1.1 million in federal funding for the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children — or Summer EBT — program has ignited a fierce debate among lawmakers, advocates and families over the state’s priorities and values, especially when it comes to the well-being of some of the state’s most vulnerable residents. Lee’s decision could leave 700,000 low-income children without access to summer meals in 2025.

The Summer EBT program, created during the pandemic and later made permanent by Congress, provides financial support to ensure children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals have access to nutritious food during summer break. Under the program, families receive a debit card preloaded with $40 per month per eligible child, restricted for use on food. In Tennessee last year, this initiative — branded as "Sun Bucks" — issued $120 to each child over three months, injecting an estimated $77 million into local grocery stores and generating up to $140 million in economic activity.

But that impact is now in jeopardy.

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Governor Lee’s administration, which already signaled its reluctance to renew the program last year, allowed the state’s participation to lapse by quietly missing the Jan. 1 renewal deadline. In a statement given to NBC........

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