Officials from the state of Iowa told the USDA that it will not participate in the 2024 Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children program, also known as the Summer EBT, reports NPR. As part of the program, each child in a low-income family receives $40 a month to help with food costs while out of school for summer break.
"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.
States that participate in the federal program are required to cover half of the administrative costs, an estimated $2.2 million in Iowa.
Officials in Nebraska also said the state will forego the benefits, which costs the state about $300,000 in administrative costs.
"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, Friday.
However, the state will continue participating in a different federal program, the Summer Food Service Program, that combines the programming for reading, physical activity, and nutrition assistance with food assistance. Full Story
Related: Food on a Global Scale; SEG Emphasizes Shopping Experience