UnidosUS Urges Texas State Officials to Address State’s Food Insecurity Crisis with $450 Million in Federal Summer EBT Funds

Inaction by Texas leaders left over one million children hungry during the summer of 2024, exacerbating food insecurity and economic challenges for thousands of families 

McAllen, TX — UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, released a report today that calls on Texas leaders and the local government officials to accept federal funding that could provide a lifeline to more than 1 million children during summer months when school meal programs are unavailable. UnidosUS urged the Texan government to act before the final February 15, 2025 deadline to opt into a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program, the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (Summer EBT), which could provide the state up to $450 million in benefits to support thousands of Texan families in need. 

According to the report, during summer months, 1.3 million children in Texas experience food insecurity. 650,000 of them, or 52%, are Hispanic. Non-Hispanic Black children make up 22% (274,000) of food-insecure Texan children during the summer, while non-Hispanic white children account for 17% (213,000). 

“Clearly, the state’s current summer feeding programs are falling short. Children’s food security and health should be among the top priorities for Texan leaders and government officials,” said UnidosUS Texas State Director, Eric Holguín. “However, in 2024, state officials refused federal funding for these programs, claiming administrative challenges and a lack of state-appropriated funds. But, with a budget surplus, Texas has the resources to invest in this critical program. We call on Texas’s officials to prioritize our children’s health and wellbeing.”  

Recent reporting showed that Texas ranked among the top 10 states in cost of grocery prices. In addition, according to a poll conducted by No Kid Hungry Texas in September 2024, 77% of Texans said they are struggling to afford groceries, with over 80% of people reporting that food prices are rising faster than their incomes — considering that state minimum wages have remained stagnant since 2009. Moreover, more than 50% of respondents noted that often they are forced to choose between food and other essentials like rent, utilities and medicine — a figure that increases to 60% for families with children and 66% for Texans in rural areas. Lastly, almost 50% of Texans report buying no protein or less protein than in previous years. More than 40% buy less fresh produce than in the past. 

During the last election cycle, according to UnidosUS polling, Texan Latino voters ranked cost of living and inflation among their top concerns. Nationally, those who prioritize the cost-of-living expressed concern over the cost of “food and basic living expenses,” more than any other expense, including housing costs and gas prices. 

UnidosUS encourages Texas’s leaders to take the following steps to ensure food security for Texan children during the summer: 

  • The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) should complete the planning work needed to implement Summer EBT in 2025, filing an interim POMS as soon as possible, and then completing the remaining steps needed to qualify for federal dollars. If the state is unable to meet the applicable deadline of February 15, HHSC should ask federal officials for extensions, as they have granted for other states. 
  • HHSC should explore strategies to reduce state administrative costs by pursuing federal grants to cover some of the program’s technology costs and by seeking philanthropic support to draw down matching federal administrative dollars. 
  • The Legislature should use a small fraction of the state’s budget surplus to cover remaining state administrative costs needed to claim federal dollars to feed Texas children and sustain Texas businesses. The Legislature should also explore whether any unspent ARPA dollars could contribute to technology updates needed to improve Summer EBT implementation and streamline the administration of nutrition security programs more broadly. 

“Many of the circumstances that contributed to Texas’s refusal of 2024 Summer EBT money are long gone,” added Holguín. “The choice to leave families without support throughout the summer will only perpetuate the cycle of childhood hunger in the state, deteriorating our children’s health and the prospect of a brighter future and economic growth for our state. Our kids deserve more.”