Texas turns down $350M in summer food assistance for children, citing lack of resources
Texas is passing up nearly $350 million in federal aid to help feed millions of low-income children during the summer months after a state agency said it lacked the time and resources to implement the program this year.
Summer EBT, a new U.S. Department of Agriculture program approved by Congress in 2022, will provide families in participating states with funds to buy groceries to fill the void when their children are not receiving meals at school. The benefits — $40 per eligible child per month — will be dispensed via “electronic benefit transfer” cards, similar to a prepaid debit card, for three months.
The majority of states, as well as several territories and tribal nations, have signed onto the program. Texas is among a minority of 16 states not participating.
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USDA spokesperson Allan Rodriguez pushed back on Texas health officials’ reasoning, saying the agency provided an “unprecedented level of guidance and support” to states in the months leading up to the rollout.
“The fact that 44 states, territories and tribes are moving forward in the program’s inaugural year shows that states have had the information they needed,” Rodriguez said. “Those that do not launch the program this summer will have future opportunities to opt-in, and we will keep working with every state and tribe to set them up for success in doing so.”
Shitty grid, starving children, racist deputized border agents arresting American citizens. Texas is a 3rd world country.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it as many times as I need to. I’ve lived in “3rd world countries”, and I’ve lived in Texas. Texas is worse.
Third world countries really get a bad rap.
It’s also such a dehumanising concept. The ‘First World’ is the Anglosphere and Western Europe, the ‘Second World’ is the Sovietsphere, and the ‘Third World’ is just everything else. How the hell are Eritrea, India, the UAE and Brazil in any way related to one another or even similar? What a stupid way to group nations that’s extremely outdated for the modern world.
While I prefer the modern term ‘Global South’ as encompassing developing nations, it still has its own issues - particularly as an Australian because we’re southern hemispheric but definitely don’t fall under the banner of ‘Global South’.
Why not just "developing world"
Don't forget about our border towns on the TX-NM border doing their best to lock down road travel for pregnant women!
They're failing for the moment, but dammit they're trying!
Also the majority of rural texas has similar access to hospitals and doctors, for many of the largest aspects of healthcare, as Guatemala.
They don't have enough resources to accept resources.... The cruelty is the point.
They need the money for more important things like children. Tax breaks for rich party donors, for example. Hungry children do not donate money to the Republican parties and their PACs.
Don’t forget money for prosecuting woman for miscarriages, or crossing state lines for abortions. Those lawyers aren’t going to fash for free, yanno.
Also threatening hospital workers in other states with prosecution if they don't provide patient info (likely in violation of HIPAA).
How else do you expect them to power their orphan crushing machine?
Texas: Ahhh no. My wallet is too big.
Birth the child, and let him suffer, said the Lord.
So much for "think of the children".
Who aren't born yet*
They just don't say that out loud
Derp in the heart of Texas
Hold on, lemme put my gun down... Eh, I can just hold it in my teeth.
* clap clap clap BANG!!! * - slumps over -
holds hat over heart
Gone too soon, Lord
Texas never stops breaking my lone star heart.
You ain't kidding.
I couldn't take it anymore and fled a couple years ago to go live with the yankees. Pop a Saint Arnold's for me.
Damn I miss good Tex-Mex.
For me it's Shiner. It's around in Washington but not exactly common, and their seasonal brews just aren't a thing.
The one-star State working for only the top 1% as usual.
Here's a strange and novel concept, use some of the money to hire resources to administrate the program?
Have I missed something? Will the government only get the funds direct to EBT clients from the feds? Thus they don't actually see any of that money? If not, I don't see a problem.
Fellas, if you have so few resources that you can't take money and hire more resources, then you've already failed. Stop everything and fix the problem with the supply of your resources first, then try again. It's insane to me that you'd be so busy pushing pencils and whatever it is they're doing, that they can't sit down, look at some resumes, do a few interviews and bring on more staff to handle the load. You're busy? Tough shit. People are literally starving. Children type people.
if only we could start a political cleansing in that state. turn that purple into blue.
Conservatives haaaaaate poor people.
Hey Texas republiQans - you love this.
Morans.
In today's episode of how Republicans are being monsters...
Classy