Iowa will not participate this summer in a federal program that gives $40 per month to each child in a low-income family to help with food costs while school is out, state officials have announced.

The state has notified the U.S. Department of Agriculture that it will not participate in the 2024 Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children — or Summer EBT — program, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education said in a Friday news release.

“Federal COVID-era cash benefit programs are not sustainable and don’t provide long-term solutions for the issues impacting children and families. An EBT card does nothing to promote nutrition at a time when childhood obesity has become an epidemic,” Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said in the news release.

A bipartisan group of Nebraska lawmakers have urged the state to reconsider, saying Summer EBT would address the needs of vulnerable children and benefit the state economically, the Journal Star reported.

    • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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      1 year ago

      That’s how I read it too. I really hope not, but I’m also assuming this is a republican so probably.

    • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Republicans wanna keep kids nice and fit for Matt Gaetz and the other diddlers in their party.

    • prole@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      They should sell it to Republicans in the state as a way to keep their employees fed without having to spend any more money.

      Employees in this case, being the children in case nobody got that