An Omaha lawmaker is pushing legislation to force Nebraska to join a federal program that will give $18 million to feed an estimated 150,000 children at risk for experiencing hunger when schools are closed this summer.
Gov. Jim Pillen rejected the funding in December, citing his disdain for welfare programs, and claimed an adequate summer food distribution program was already in place. Nebraska is one of 15 states that has refused the federal food program funding, including Wyoming and Texas with a single commonality: all red states with Republican governors.
Following widespread outrage from the public and several Nebraska food banks, Democratic state Sen. Jen Day introduced a bill requiring the Cornhusker State to opt-in to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s program. The legislation has bipartisan support, including from Republican state Sen. Ray Aguilar, who has prioritized nutritious meals for the young, elderly and most vulnerable.
“To see a state like ours, one of the nation’s leading agricultural states teetering so close to the bottom in food insecurity signifies the failure in achieving a common objective … ensuring every child in Nebraska enjoys a safe and healthy upbringing,” Day said in the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee hearing for the bill last Thursday.