Iowa won't participate in US food assistance program for kids this summer

MicroWave@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 600 points –
Iowa won't participate in US food assistance program for kids this summer
apnews.com

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.

113

Wait, did she just say some kids are too fat so they don’t want to feed any of them?

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

They literally believe that the gubmint is feeding poor children so much they’ve become obese.

Gah, i feel dirty when i see things from their pov.

That's the charitable interpretation! The other way of reading it is that in reality some children are obese while others go hungry, but they can't be bothered to give a shit which are which.

Republicans not giving a shit about children. Quelle surprise.

Nothing they say is about children. Regardless of the topic, anything they say can be translated to “this isn’t making the rich richer, perhaps it’s even making the rich less rich, and therefore I will vote against it”

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

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

Meanwhile farmers in Iowa get the majority of their income off the fat teat of the US government. Go fuck yourself hypocrites.

Farming subsidies are insane in Iowa but because so much of the farming is owned by giant corporations instead of families, it's just another way we move money from taxpayers to the wealthy.

It pisses me off to no end that rural Iowans go hard Republican. They listen to the pandering to "Iowa Farmers" from the right, despite only larping as farmers since they all sold their farms in the 70s and 80s.

Sorry, Tom the "farmer", but living in a ranch house on .25 acres in a town of 200 people and wearing coveralls from 35 years ago, does not make you the beneficiary of Iowa farm money.

An EBT card does nothing to promote nutrition at a time when childhood obesity has become an epidemic,”

Holy fuck... she's literally saying that your kids should starve because other kids are fat.

She probably meant - colored kids can starve because white kids are too fat.

It's such a weird hill to die on, too. We pay, what, 15k/kid per year of education? 120 bucks is too much, though.

They do this for so many things. The death penalty is far more expensive than life in prison, but they'd rather be cruel than save the money that they always say shouldn't be spent.

They just think the answer is to kill them faster to save money.

To be fair. It's not like the appeals system works when SCOTUS denied one on the basis that we have to respect the jury, even after literally everyone involved in the trial said there was exculpatory evidence missing from the trial.

So it doesn't matter how bad the trial was anymore. Any death sentence must stand under their reasoning.

SCOTUS, or at least Scalia, has also decided that innocence isn't a compelling reason to be spared execution.

We should never let these vermin get away with calling themselves "pro-life."

Dear kid,

You will go hungry today because we will also let you starve tomorrow.

Also, you are fat.

Love, Republicans

“Federal COVID-era cash benefit programs are not sustainable and don’t provide long-term solutions for the issues impacting children and families."

"...so instead we the GOP are going to replace this unsustainable program with nothing making a future problem a problem of today!" /s

"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."

"While yes, EBT card is useful to buy all kinds of healthy food such as fresh produce, staples such as beans and rice, as well as great protein choices such as chicken, pork or beef, you may not be aware that EBT card can also buy sugar! And, you may not be aware, its possible for someone to consume enough sugar to gain weight. Therefore the GOP solution is to remove the EBT card which grants access to this sugar (as well as all the other food). By doing this those children that are overweight will effectively be put on a starvation diet where their bodies will slowly first digest their body's muscle and put their liver at risk by forcing ketosis. Those children that don't happen to be overweight, and will suffer tremendously, should have thought about that before they let all their peers eat too much." /s

I mean... do you need the /s when you're just de-politicizing the language and not changing the message?

Can’t have kids eating sugar, they will get fat. Also, let’s give subsidize corn farming some more.

Some kids are fat so poor kids should starve?

Holy shit GOP.

There's a very good chance the kids that are overweight are overweight in part because the parents can't afford better food as junk food is often cheaper. This could just worsen the problem.

Yup. Not to mention, distended bellies are also a symptom of malnourishment. These are the people who will point at starving kids in Africa and claim they're fat.

I love when this happens and they present no alternative. Choosing a losing option instead of accepting an imperfect effort. Try to improve it? No surely not. Throw it all away. If a social program helps someone I deem unworthy of aid it must be removed.

How small of a person.

Their entire party is built around making their constituents angry at other people. Earnst us trying to enrage people because she's ameyeing a national positikn.

I think it's time to just call them on it. Everyone believes in feeding kids. It's not controversial. It's the ethical right thing to do. There is no disagreement between parties here. She's just doing this to try and stir up anger at "them/"others" because she thinks it will make a subset of people vote for her.

Repugnants: "We hate kids."

It’s really sad because I grew up poor and relied on food assistance at school for a reliable meal during the weekdays. If I had to not eat lunch most weeks I think my childhood would’ve been arguably a lot worse

it's infuriating. And not "mildly" infuriating. this is full on, rage-inducing pisses me off. Fortunately, we're going the way up here; funding more free lunches.

but but we saved them from the evil doctors and liberals when they were in the womb, they should be thanking us.

This is so fucking stupid, not only does this feed kids the money goes to local retailers but a huge chunk also buys Iowa food products. What the fuck is wrong with that idiot

They have never experienced poverty so they think it's fine because if they were in that situation they would pull themselves up by their bootstraps or whatever delusional shit they come up with. To them it's non-issue and everyone in poverty must be lazy.

Haha yeah, stupid lazy jobless children.

Now that you mention it they did lower the age limit for working in Iowa this year.

If these kids didn't want to be poor, they should've thought twice before being born to poor parents

Yeah but wealthy donors are complaining the people aren't desperate enough to take whatever job for whatever salary.

"God, I want to hurt children so much." - Republicans

An EBT card does nothing to promote nutrition at a time when childhood obesity has become an epidemic,

Poor nutrition is when the poors have too much access to food. /s

She added, “If the Biden Administration and Congress want to make a real commitment to family well-being, they should invest in already existing programs and infrastructure at the state level and give us the flexibility to tailor them to our state’s needs.”

Read: "Give us money and let us cut taxes for our ultrawealthy donors yet again."

Wouldn’t “schools and their kitchens/cafeterias existing” count as existing programs and infrastructure?

In theory, sure.

In practice, the GOP has made it a core issue to defund schools and remove free and subsidized lunches, so it's unlikely that any money given to the governor's administration would go towards anything of the sort.

“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.

Okay, so they have a better program they're implementing instead to address those issues?

Well those kids are obese. Probably do them some good to drop a few pounds right?

Seems like a great way to campaign, "you're kids are fat so i am goibg to starve them to make them healthy?"

The "pro-life" and "protect the children" party at work

1 more...

Twelve million children are food insecure in the "Greatest Country on Earth™" and they want to cut spending to feed them.

But it’s important that they keep being born, even if the pregnancy was a product of rape or the birth might kill the mother.

Yikes

“In the end, I fundamentally believe that we solve the problem, and I don’t believe in welfare,” Nebraska Republican Gov. Jim Pillen told the Journal Star on Friday.

I’m thinking this should be on his campaign posters so that families know exactly who to blame when they are put even further underwater.

So I guess even church run food banks are too communist.

No no those are ok because of the religious indoctrination and turning away people that are anything other than straight white christians

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

- Literally Jesus, Matthew 7:21-23

The nearby verse is more on point https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025%3A42-46&version=NLT

42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

But religious right wingers who even know this part of the Bible will do some backflips to justify that they don't have to help those people. I once encountered someone telling me it only applied to missionaries.

My mom seems to believe it applies to VOLUNTARY giving, and "if the govt is taking your money and doing it without your input it's not honoring Christ's intent".

People do a lot of backflips to justify that "render under caeser what is caesar's" doesn't mean "pay your taxes"

13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax[b] to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

And they were amazed at him.

“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.

She added, “If the Biden Administration and Congress want to make a real commitment to family well-being, they should invest in already existing programs and infrastructure at the state level and give us the flexibility to tailor them to our state’s needs.”

They don't think the current program to address child hunger is sustainable. They are not replacing it with another program, are they? They're just going to let the kids go hungry?

And people vote for these assholes?

That's the Republican way - criticise and cut everything while offering no real solutions

Evil intent dressed up as "this is good for you"

I bet Matt Gaetz was disappointed to find out that this was what his Nebraskan pals had meant when they said they'd be screwing a bunch of kids during summer break.

Republicans every single day you endeavor to be the biggest assholes around- why dont you do everyone a favor and TAKE A DAY OFF?

We’re on the bad side of literally every issue. we’re the GOP!

These are the same people who pretend to worship Christ but Trump is their new messiah.

Oh goodness me no! Why would you want to do that?!? I mean doing something like feeding poor kids is only a hairsbreadth away from total communism.

Evil ghouls that are in power need to feel unsafe. They are too comfy with doing harm to working class/poor people.

Finally someone is standing up against. Checks notes. Free school Lunches! Wait what?

I know this might sound weird, but $40/month is definitely enough to cover the costs of feeding a child.

It won't be luxury foods, and you'll have to prepare them yourself, but your child will be able to get the nutrition they need.

I wish the government would give me $40/month just so I can feed myself, lol.

Being poor is expensive.

you'll have to prepare them yourself

Requiring time, equipment, space, and energy. Work two jobs a day and tell me how easy it is to save money making rice and beans at the end of the day.

I wish the government would give me $40/month just so I can feed myself, lol.

I wish that for you, too. Nobody should go hungry, and if my taxes can help you out, I would be thrilled to see our government spend money making your life liveable.

I hate that people forget that some of the races we pay are to help people....but I really really really hate that companies like Walmart plan on their employees needing government programs instead of proper wages....they should pay more. But honestly I'll never have a problem with proper nutrition...I just hope no trash people are aiming to profit off the assistance. (CEO of Walmart and like companies)

I wish the government would give me $40/month just so I can feed myself, lol.

That's the basis of UBI. Rather than spending a lot on management and bureaucracy, and still missing those most in need, instead just give everyone the baseline and tax slightly more. It provides a natural alternative to various aid and support systems. They all get rolled into 1. It also feels fairer to people.

And before the inflation argument is brought up, it's easy to counter. You just have a % tax, with a flat payout, and run it as a fairly closed loop. The income growth line gets shallower, but is flattened at the bottom. No new money is entering the system, so no additional inflation. It also counters the "no-one will work" argument. If people drop out of the workforce, the fund's income will drop, this will reduce payouts and encourage more work from people.

I can't even imagine thinking about having this stance. Literally evil

Big surprise that Iowa is the second worse state to live in in the US

Do Iowans know how to vote?

Yes, they know how to vote very well. They just only know how to vote against their own interests because that’s how their pastor told them to vote and because they are scared of brown people and people from shudder New York and California

I know. Just sad. Representatives doing the opposite of what their constituents want/need. And in many cases, at not cost to the state. Hopefully the leaders get voted out.

  1. $40 ain't doing shit
  2. EBT can be spent on almost anything, so there's no guarantee this isn't just buying your sidechick a steak.
  3. The grocery store is, just like everything else in the US, a fucking scam. Most of the items aren't nutritious at all, repackaging salt, sugar, and corn into a thousand shapes and flavors. It tastes good, so people buy it because they're fucking stupid, and the ones that aren't were taught a fucked food pyramid that prioritized protein and carbs because of corruption.
  4. We're fucked lads. The kids are double fucked and don't have any idea.
  5. CO2 is a painless death.