They had the money.
They chose not to help
foster kids.
$14B surplus. $1B in rebates. An $85M foster care gap left open while placements halted. Every number below is from Georgia's own books.
Pro-rated against the fiscal year. A clock that runs while children wait.
“The best financial shape Georgia has ever been in.”
One bar is the gap. The rest is the choice.
A known crisis. A patched gap. No structural fix.
- Dec. 18, 2025
Lawmakers told about the shortfall.
DFACS gap surfaces in a public legislative hearing.
WSB-TV — Dec. 2025 joint committee hearing coverage - Jan. 8, 2026
Placements halt. Kids have nowhere to go.
Near-halt on new private-provider foster placements reported.
AP News — Jan. 8, 2026: $85M deficit & placement freeze - AFY 2026
Governor proposes half the fix.
$41.5M for foster care — in a budget that also sends out $1B in rebates.
Governor's Budget Report AFY 2026 / FY 2027 (PDF) - Feb. 25, 2026
Lawmakers backfill the FY 2026 gap.
The House and Senate finalize the amended FY 2026 budget, steering an extra $81 million to human services to restore the DFACS shortfall and canceled contracts.
The Imprint — Feb. 25, 2026: $81M backfill for DFACS
What Georgia funded instead.
11× the DFACS gap. Mailed out anyway.
One-time surplus refund.
Emergency for property. Not for children.
Funded fast, in full.
Every year. Forever. Bigger than the gap.
Recurring revenue reduction.
More for cages than for kids.
Added to GDC operations.
They knew the number. They funded half.
This is separate from the FY2026 gap already patched — it's the Governor's proposal for the following year.
The only row under 1× is foster care. Every figure links to the state's own source.
The people who can put it on the agenda — and haven't.
These four lawmakers control whether the DFACS shortfall gets a hearing in Appropriations.233 days since they were told. Tap a card. Call. Email. Tweet. Make them respond on the record.
Force it onto the Appropriations agenda.
Two minutes. One call to the Capitol switchboard 404-656-2000. Ask for your senator and rep — and the Appropriations chairs above. Close the $85M gap before June 30.
I'm a Georgia voter. The state has a $14B surplus and sent out $1B in rebates. DFACS has an acknowledged $85M shortfall and halted new foster placements. The Governor's AFY 2026 proposal only adds $41.5M — half. Please fully fund the DFACS gap before June 30.