Did Oklahoma turn down federal money to feed low-income kids two summers in a row?

For 2024 and 2025, Oklahoma opted out of the federal Summer EBT program, also known as Sun Bucks, which provides $120 in grocery benefits per school-age child over the summer to address increased child hunger when schools are out.

When declaring Oklahoma’s opt-out status, Gov.Kevin Stitt cited the existence of services such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a lack of information, and bureaucracy for families to wade through. Stitt pointed to the millions of dollars donated to food banks as evidence that kids wouldn’t go hungry.

According to Hunger Free Oklahoma, more than one in four children and 15.4% of households in Oklahoma are food insecure.

All 14 states that opted out are GOP-led, citing a variety of philosophical and technical reasons.

Some in Oklahoma may still have access to Summer EBT, as several Oklahoma tribes, including the Cherokee and Chickasaw Nations, opted into the program.