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ICYMI: Republican-led States (like Florida) are Blocking Summer Food Benefits for Hungry Families

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July 8, 2024

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ICYMI: Republican-led States (like Florida) are Blocking Summer Food Benefits for Hungry Families

FDP Chair Nikki Fried declares it a “Cruel Summer” for Florida’s kids

Tallahassee, FL — Last week, USA TODAY reported that Florida and 11 other Republican-led states chose to opt out of the Summer EBT program, a federal initiative to provide families who receive free or reduced school lunches an EBT credit for the summer months. 9.5 million children are affected in states that opted out, including 2.2 million children in Florida, which rejected $250 million in federal funding.

In a tweet, FDP Chair Nikki Fried called the move a “Cruel Summer” and said that Ron DeSantis “only protects our kids when it fits his narrative.”

READ MORE:

Republican-led states are blocking summer food benefits for hungry families — USA TODAY

  • The governors of a dozen states – Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming – opted out of the program, leaving about 9.5 million students without the aid this summer, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. All of these states are led by Republicans.99

  • White House leaders slammed state officials, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who refused to opt in and help combat hunger for parents who can’t afford to feed themselves or their children.

  • “It is $250 million that is left on the table. … It costs Floridians nothing,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to Spectrum News.

 

White House calls out Florida for not joining summer EBT program — Spectrum News 13 

  • “It is truly, truly shameful, that they are not opting into these programs.” Jean-Pierre said. “We’re talking about making sure that children in low-income families … are getting the summer lunches, right? And one of the things that we learned during this pandemic is food insecurity. How terrible that was to our children. And so we need to make sure that we’re taking care of our kids.”

  • …all of Florida’s Democrats in Congress sent a letter to DeSantis, urging him to apply to the program in time for the Jan. 1 deadline. In response to the state’s decision to reject the money, Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor said in a statement: “Governor DeSantis is putting Florida families at a disadvantage yet again due to his extreme politics.”

 

Florida opts out of $250 million in summer food aid for families — WFSU

  • “It doesn’t seem it would be that heavy of a lift for the state to put this out, especially considering the fact that … so many children are going hungry, grocery costs are still on the increase in Florida and the amount of money that would come into the state,” [Cindy] Huddleston said.

  • Florida director of No Kid Hungry, Sky Beard, called the state’s most recent decision “incredibly disappointing.” “More than three-quarters of Floridians reported it was harder to buy food this year than last, due to the increasing costs of food and other essentials,” she wrote in a statement.

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