Indiana's Family and Social Services Administration has no intent to participate in the SUN Bucks program moving forward.
State Democrats say they don't understand the decision to withhold funding for children in need of food assistance as the state posts a $1.86 billion budget surplus.
Indiana only participated in the SUN Bucks program in the summer of 2024, it declined assistance in 2025 and 2026. The federal program gives families $120 per child to help cover meals during the summer.
State officials have said they would not participate because of the administrative costs that range between $5-7 million annually.
Kate Howe is with the Indy Hunger Network. She said she doesn't understand the decision, which brings tens of millions of dollars in federal support to Indiana.
"Caring for kids shouldn't be an optional thing," she said. "If we have money coming from the federal government to feed our Indiana kids, why would we say no to that?"
According to state Democrats, opting into the program costs over $5 million, but brings in roughly $80 million in federal dollars. In 2024, the program paid for roughly 660,000 children to eat.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the FSSA said that "with our economy now stronger and Indiana's long‑standing nutrition programs firmly in place, the SUN Bucks program is no longer necessary."
The spokesperson said those seeking food resources can call 2-1-1.
Sen. Minority leader Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) said the decision not to pay for the program while the state has over $4 billion in reserves is unconscionable.
"Now the excuse is we're just not going to do it because families and kiddos can find food elsewhere," she said. "It certainly isn't fiscally conservative. It is cruel."
At the same time, Democrats are raising concerns about the loss of SUN bucks, nearly 80,000 fewer Hoosiers will receive SNAP benefits compared to April of last year.
"All of our federal nutrition programs are under attack," said Kate How with Indy Hunger. "It's really an attack on any federal program that helps American citizens, and I just ask, where will we draw the line? Why do we pay tax dollars if we can't use them for taking care of our citizens?"
Contact Government Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org
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