Georgia officials are considering the next steps after federal officials told Georgia Tuesday not to begin drug testing people who use food stamps.

The federal Food and Nutrition Service warned Georgia’s chief of human services in a letter that implementing the law on July 1 would violate federal rules. The law’s author, though, said he thinks it’s legal and vowed to “see them in court” if the feds try to halt the changes.

Find out more about the debate over Georgia's one-of-a-kind law at myajc.com.

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Constituent Services Director Vesna Kurspahic helps a student with his service academy application at U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick’s office in Cumming, Ga., on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. Kurspahic is constituent services director for Congressman Rich McCormick. During the government shutdown, she is handling a caseload of roughly 250 requests without receiving any salary. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

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Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com