Policy Matters: Oklahoma chooses to let children stay hungry

When Oklahoma’s governor announced he was again rejecting federal dollars to feed hungry children next summer, he shared more truth than I believe he intended: “The State of Oklahoma is fully capable of serving children and students without a federal program.”

Yes, Oklahoma is capable of ensuring that no child goes to bed hungry. Yet, 1 in 5 Oklahoma children don’t know where their next meal will come from, so we have to conclude some of our elected officials choose this outcome.

The governor presented two rationales: one was politically motivated throwing shade at a “Biden-Harris” program that “floundered in other states,” while the other touted exaggerated claims about the impact of the forthcoming elimination of the state portion of the grocery sales tax.

Regarding the effectiveness, the USDA has said the “evidence-based Summer EBT program is successfully being run in more than three dozen states, territories, and tribes helping 21 million children across the U.S.”

When Oklahoma opted out of the 2024 program, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole nations stepped forward to participate so all children in their reservations were fed, regardless of Tribal citizen status. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. shared that the Tribe was able to distribute nearly $8 million to feed hungry children this summer, with about $1.4 million in administrative costs more than a 5x return.

As to the impact of cutting the state’s portion of the grocery sales tax, the governor’s claim of $800 in annual savings for Oklahoma families is not supported by any data shared by lawmakers.

This spring, the Oklahoma Policy Institute asked a national partner to estimate impacts from the grocery tax cut. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimated an Oklahoma family earning $40,000 per year would likely save about $125 per year. The richest Oklahomans (earning more than $619,000 annually) would save an average of $408 per year. Both are far less than the governor’s claims. (More information is available at OKPolicy.org.)

Further, it’s not like cutting the grocery sales tax and participating in a summer food program are mutually exclusive. Oklahoma could do both. Our leaders choose not to.

We pay our taxes so our governments can address issues larger than ourselves. Our elected officials should use public resources to address real needs in our community. And if Oklahomans don’t demand better, we share in the complicity for 200,000 hungry children in our state.

Shiloh Kantz is the executive director of the Oklahoma Policy Institute .

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