Gov. DeSantis snubbed $820 million in federal food aid and won't say why
Nobody’s going to bed hungry tonight in the governor’s mansion. Too bad that’s not the case across the state. Yet Gov. Ron DeSantis is apparently leaving up to $820 million in federal food assistance on the table, and he won’t explain why. Does he have a reason? Or is it just a really bad one?
More than four months after Florida could have first applied for the aid, the Times/Herald Tallahassee bureau reported this week, it remains unclear if state officials are seeking the money — which is enough to feed 2.1 million children in low income homes. More than 80 advocacy groups, including the food bank Feeding Tampa Bay, signed on to a letter Monday calling on DeSantis to seek the money. But DeSantis’ office hasn’t answered repeated questions from the Times/Herald about the status of any request. Last week, the governor’s spokesperson, Christina Pushaw, didn’t directly answer the question, replying instead that Florida students can “receive high-quality nutrition directly from our schools.”
The quality of school lunches isn’t the issue. The question is whether Florida will tap available federal aid. And implying that schools are already meeting these nutritional needs ignores the fact that many children have little or nothing to eat once the school day ends.
Known as the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer, the federal program deposits money to a card for families of children who qualify for free or reduced meals at school. It was created by the federal government last year to ensure that children would still be fed during the pandemic if they weren’t attending in-person instruction.
https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2021/09/01/gov-desantis-snubbed-820-million-in-federal-food-and-wont-say-why-editorial/
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