We didn't gut child labor laws for them to just get handouts? Republican Governors Are Refusing Free Meals for Millions of Kids In late 2022, Congress approved a similar, permanent program on a bipartisan basis. Called SUN Bucks, or Summer EBT, the program begins this month and provides families with $40 per child per month in grocery benefits over the summer, or $120 in total, when they don’t have access to free lunches at school. Thirty-seven states, five territories, and the District of Columbia will participate in the program. But 13 states, all led by Republican governors, have opted out of the program, depriving millions of low-income kids. Several of these states have also declined to expand Medicaid, increasing the burden on households too poor to afford health care or basic groceries. SUN Bucks isn’t as generous as its pandemic-era iteration, but the Department of Agriculture nonetheless estimates that the program will reach more than 20 million children. “We always see summer as one of the hungriest times of year,” said Kelsey Boone, the senior child nutrition policy analyst at the Food Research and Action Center. “We see summer EBT as kind of filling that gap in the summer nutrition programs that only reach a fraction of the children that participate in reduced-price school meals during the school year.” The baker’s dozen of red states that opted out are Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, Mississippi, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Their governors have cited an array of reasons, including logistical difficulties, but much of the opposition appears patently ideological.
Whew. Thank goodness we keep electing the "ideology" of letting children starve or go mal-nourished when they do not have to. I never use the word "hate", but if anyone merits it, it is the evil of the Republi-ban.
Another example of ideology trumping compassion (pun intended) and I'm sure those governors are all supported by so called Evangelical Christians who rather selectively follow scripture intentionally ignoring the mandate to feed the hungry. What Does the Bible Say About Feeding The Hungry?
The money would be better spent on reducing the need for summer school to begin with. Not everybody is cut out to work in an office, not everybody who isn't cut out for it is stupid, and it shouldn't take 12 years to find out who is or isn't.
I agree, it’s pretty bad. This is the GOP grandstanding for the perfect people who can’t spare some change to help feed a poor family. One of the reasons I support Trump is that I don’t think he endorses this brand of conservatism.
Studies show that over the last several years, a large percentage of kids who received free lunches during the school year didn’t take advantage of the same opportunity during the summer. Being there are other similar programs that are being under-utilized also, not sure throwing more money (in addition to SNAP) is the answer.
Whoa, whoa, whoa...you mean there are other sources of food besides the government? You don't say. Similar programs that are underutilized? Wow. I didn't know the Bible said that the government should take - at the point of a gun - money from one citizen to give it to another. That is, of course, what taxes are...unless this is really "free" and the food appears out of nowhere and those evil Republican governors do not allow it in. This may be a great program; but, typically when the Federal government comes out with something it's picking the pocket of someone else and invariably not delivering a super great result.
Trump and his family stole from children's charities. He would kick a kid in the face just to add a dollar fifty to his own bank account.
I prefer to give directly to local non-profits or church groups that typically have 90% plus go to the folks in need. The Federal Govt is not nearly as efficient nor effective
Great. Give to your local nonprofit. But you're getting taxed either way. So do you have an issue with a few of your tax dollars going to hungry kids?