This week, Governor Ron DeSantis along with 15 other Republican-led states rejected federal funds aimed at providing food for school children during the summer break. Governor DeSantis and the Florida Department of Children and Families rejected $248 million dollars from the federal government. This money would’ve provided $40 dollars per child, per family to those who are eligible for EBT benefits. Recent reports say that three-fourths of Floridians have said that buying groceries this year has been hard. Feeding America estimates that one in seven children go hungry in Florida.
Representative Dianne Hart (D-Tampa) (Chair of Florida Legislative Black Caucus) issued the following statement:
“It is sickening to think that Ron DeSantis’ administration would reject crucial funds aimed at feeding hungry children, for the simple fact that he doesn’t like the sender. There are over half a million children that are food insecure and that problem is only exacerbated during summer breaks when many children lose the only meal they receive in a day.
“It is equally troubling that a spokesperson for the Department of Children and Families would say that we ‘don’t need the money, because it comes with strings.’ Yes, it does come with a string, and that is feeding children. How could we be so cruel? It has been argued that the state can’t afford to participate citing the 12-million-dollar matching fund requirement however, the state currently has $16.8 billion dollars in reserve, so what is the real issue?
“How can you trust someone to run the country, when they can’t even be trusted to feed the starving children in their state?”
