Donate todayWednesday, April 22, 2026Good morning! Catherine SweeneyFor two years, low-income families in Tennessee with kids have been missing out on help that most everyone else in the country can get. 

Kids who depend on free school lunches don’t get those meals in the summer so a federal program gives those families $120 per child to fill the gap. States only have to pay for administrative costs for the program, like getting a debit card to families and making sure the cards work. 

Starting last year, Tennesseans lost access to the program. Gov. Bill Lee said those administrative costs — about $5 million a year — cost too much. So he pulled Tennessee out of the federal program. 

For context, the budget lawmakers just passed was more than $50 billion. 

And for some more context, Tennessee was one of 13 states that made this move. Some governors — like the one in Wyoming — echoed Lee, raising concerns about administrative costs. But other governors — like in Mississippi and Utah — said they didn’t want to support the welfare state. 

But starting next summer, Tennessee could be back in the program. 

WHAT TO KNOW

Photo: Getty Images

Lawmakers set aside $7 million dollars in the budget for this program, in an effort to force the state back into participating. 

But it’s on the executive branch (Gov. Lee and the Tennessee Department of Human Services) to actually get the state back into the fold. 

And it’s already too late for Tennessee to re-join for this summer. 

So by the time Summer EBT actually came back to the state, it’s likely it would be under a different governor. This comes after a lot of backlash, which Pierce Gentry of WUOT also covered. 

Social justice and safety net organizations like the Tennessee Justice Center pushed for a return to the federal program. So did faith leaders. 

A few months ago, 41 county mayors signed onto a letter asking the governor to sign back up for the Summer EBT program. 

The NashVillager is supported by

and Nashville Public Radio members

On today’s episode of the NashVillager podcast 
with host Nina Cardona 🎙️ 

What was Tennessee’s connection to the start of an often-forgotten war? The Spanish-American conflict began in earnest when a ship named for our city fired the first shots. Plus the local news for April 22, 2026 and this week’s edition of What Where Whens-day. 

Listen and subscribe on your favorite podcasting app
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pocket Casts | Web

MORE TO KNOW

• Starbucks is investing 100-million dollars to set up a corporate office here in Nashville. Governor Bill Lee stood with Starbucks executives  today  to unveil the plan to expand across the Southeastern U.S. The coffee chain says it will employ up to 2-thousand workers over the next five years. It’s unclear whether state officials offered the company tax breaks or benefits for the relocation. Some workers from the company’s Seattle headquarters will transfer to Nashville. Starbucks has been based in Seattle since the 1990s. The company says it’s been looking to expand across the central and northeastern regions  [AP News]
   
• Starting this Earth Day, the Metro Nashville’s trash services have a place to take your polystyrene foam, A.K.A. styrofoam. Mayor Freddie O’Connell is set to cut the ribbon and put the first piece in the new foam recycling system. That’s at the East Convenience Center off Trinity Lane.  This is a big deal because Styrofoam is notoriously hard to recycle, so most cities don’t accept it. There’s a big push to either change that, or ban the foam. 
• A jury decided that Live Nation and Ticketmaster were unfairly eradicating their competition, and that their business practices were hurting fans, artists and venues. NPR spoke with several artists and organizers who say they don’t expect to see any immediate changes in the live music industry, but they see this is a first step in the right direction. They say they hope the Live Nation verdict leads to lower ticket fees for fans as well as more robust competition and investment in small, local music scenes across the country. 
• American Airlines announced it’s building a 17,400 square foot Admiral Lounge at BNA. That’ll be in Concourse A, which is closed for remodel construction until 2028. The Nashville Business Journal reports another airline, Southwest, plans to add a $53 million premium lounge to Concourse D. Southwest accounts for more than half of BNA’s yearly passenger traffic. 

FROM THIS IS NASHVILLE

We’re bringing our voices together in harmony. It’s a show where everyone has a part. This is a choir town, after all. And choral music is a communal act. We’re visiting with the symphony chorus, the Crimm singers and Vox Grata. Do your warm ups and join us for a singing on the web, on 90.3 or on YouTube.

Stream This is Nashville with host Blake Farmer on YouTube, or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts |  Spotify | YouTubeCHECK OUT TICKET GIVEAWAYS

THE LATEST FROM NPR

• Ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz after ceasefire extension
• RFK Jr. is on a congressional hearing blitz, after a long absence from Capitol Hill
• Trump administration delays rule aimed at improving disability access in schools
• How the airline industry could be impacted if Spirit Airlines is liquidated
• From the Himalayas to Newt Gingrich, the ‘tree-huggers’ prevail
• With Virginia vote, Democrats gain edge over Trump’s national GOP redistricting push
• ‘We can do better,’ FAA head says of work to update U.S. analog air traffic system
• Priceless 2,500-year-old golden helmet returned to Romania after Dutch museum raid
• Mexico to beef up security at tourist sites after shooting at pyramids
• Virginia voters OK a Democratic effort to redraw the state’s congressional map