LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen reversed course on Monday and announced that the state will accept roughly $18 million in federal funding to help feed hungry children over the summer break.
Pillen announced in December that the state would reject the funding, defending his position by stating, “I don’t believe in welfare.” But he came under intense pressure, including from some members of his party, to accept the money.
At a news conference Monday, Pillen said he decided to accept money allocated through the U.S. Department of Agriculture after meeting with a group of high school students from around Nebraska who visited the state Capitol this month.
“They talked about being hungry, and they talked about the summer USDA program and, depending upon access, when they’d get a sack of food,” Pillen said. “And from my seat, what I saw there, we have to do better in Nebraska.”
The Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children — or Summer EBT — program was widely employed as part of federal assistance made available during the COVID-19 pandemic, and then made permanent in 2022. It provides pre-loaded EBT cards to low-income families, those whose children are eligible for free and reduced-price lunches at school, and those who are already on food assistance, Medicaid and other assistance programs. Those families would receive $40 per eligible child for each of three summer months. The cards can be used to buy groceries, similar to how SNAP benefits are used.