By Skylar Laird
SCDailyGazette.com
COLUMBIA — Statehouse Democrats want to force Gov. Henry McMaster to participate in a federal program that gives poor families extra money to buy food over the summer when schools are closed.
South Carolina is among 15 states not participating in a program that provides poor families $40 a month per school-aged child for groceries over the summer. (The maximum is $120 per family monthly.) During a news conference last week, Democrats blasted McMaster for deciding to opt out.
Resolutions introduced Wednesday, Jan. 24 in the House and Senate would require the Republican governor to file an intention to participate with the U.S. Department of Agriculture within five days of both chambers approving the proposal.
But approval is unlikely. The House resolution has 12 co-sponsors. An identical resolution filed in the Senate has nine co-sponsors. All are Democrats in a Legislature dominated by Republicans.
And even if the legislation were to gain traction, the federal deadline for states to provide a notice of intent for this summer was Jan. 1.
Rep. Marvin Pendarvis, who’s leading the push in the House, said he hopes South Carolina could get a federal waiver from the deadlines, both the initial one missed almost four weeks ago and the upcoming Feb. 15 deadline for participating states to submit a detailed funding and management plan.
The North Charleston Democrat said he’s talking with members of South Carolina’s congressional delegation about making that happen should the resolution pass or McMaster change his mind.
“We’re asking for the governor to go ahead and show he’s committed to feeding kids in South Carolina and asking Congress to get us a waiver to opt in,” Pendarvis told the S.C. Daily Gazette.
If the state can’t get an exception to the deadlines, the governor could enroll in the program for summer 2025.
The extra grocery money is fully funded by the federal government. Administrative costs are split, with participating states required to pay half.
House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford said McMaster needs to provide a better answer to the public as to why he refused to participate.
The Columbia Democrat said he was disappointed he didn’t hear one in McMaster’s State of the State address Wednesday night. McMaster talked a lot about his budget recommendations for the upcoming fiscal year but never mentioned what he chose not to do, Rutherford said.
He “just seemed to talk about how much money he wanted to spend, when he’s the same governor who denied food to hungry children,” Rutherford said. “I wanted to hear his take on that and why he did it and maybe he could convince the general public that was a good idea.”
Democrats estimate the program would provide additional grocery money for at least 72,000 children in the state.
The $40 monthly per child would be added to food assistance debit cards known as EBT — the program that used to be known as food stamps.
Asked earlier this month why he chose not to participate, McMaster called the program a “COVID-related benefit extra.” His office has declined to respond to Democrats’ complaints since.
“We’ve got to get back to doing normal business. We can’t continue that forever, but we’re continuing all the other programs we have,” he said in his only public statement on the decision.
The existing programs he referenced include summer meal programs for poor children overseen by the state Department of Education. Those provide prepared meals at participating schools, camps, nonprofits and community centers for children.
Skylar Laird covers the South Carolina Legislature and criminal justice issues. Originally from Missouri, she previously worked for The Post and Courier’s Columbia bureau.
