Child hunger groups urge Florida's governor to apply for federal food aid for kids

[riversedge]

Source: Miami Herald



Fried says DeSantis must request $820M in child food aid | Miami Herald


Updated August 27, 2021 02:47 AM


Child hunger groups and Florida’s top elected Democrat urged Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday to tap into $820 million in federal aid money that would provide meals for more than 2 million children in low-income households.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said it was “unconscionable” that DeSantis’ administration hasn’t requested the money, which has no strings attached. All the state has to do is ask, Fried said.

“Every day that this aid is delayed is another night where a child would go to bed hungry that could have been prevented,” said Fried, a Democrat looking to challenge DeSantis’ reelection next year. “The people of Florida can’t afford the governor leaving money on the table...................................

Demand for food assistance has surged during the pandemic, especially for students who depended on free and reduced meals at schools. When schools shifted to online learning last year, the federal government set up the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer program to make sure those students were still being fed................................





Read more: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article253765398.html#storylink=cpy

---

Link to tweet

?s=20
Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried speaks during a Barack Obama drive-in rally in support of Joe Biden near Florida International University in Miami, Florida, on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. MATIAS J. OCNER [e-mail]
TALLAHASSEE


From the comment section:

Geronimo Schmidt
Dogma over the health and benefit of Floridian children as well as the health and benefits of businesses in Florida since those funds would also would have also brought additional sales of agricultural and food products from producers and supermarkets in Florida.
Also would have brought sales taxes as money from the poor not spend in food would have been spent in other taxable items
DeSantis is an idiot....Can we recall DeSantis?

[sakabatou]

1. I doubt DeSatan would actually do it.

[iscooterliberally]

2. I wish we could recall DeSantis, but I don't think we can.

He barely won his first election. Hopefully we can vote him out next year. What a horrible person he is!

[Texaswitchy]

3. He is to busy killing them with the virus.

Why would he care if they go hungry.

[NCjack]

4. He is incredibly stupid to think that his policies can propel him to the presidency.

[area51]

10. +1 n/t

[keithbvadu2]

5. Now, how does that work?

Now, how does that work?

DeSantis taps the money from the feds.

Then DeSantis taps the money for his pet priorities.

The children were already hungry so no change to worry about.

[peppertree]

6. Which, of course, all but guarantees he won't

The cruelty is the point.

[okaawhatever]

7. Republicans trying to destroy public schools so that religious private ones w/federal funding can

Replace them, hungry kids don’t do well on standardized tests.

I’ll bet the Kochs, Who don’t believe in public schools, have promised enough $$ to win the next election. Look at what they did with Scott Walker,

[kimbutgar]

8. Desatan probably thinks those children need to pull themselves up by the bootstraps

The government should be Ayn Randian and not feed hungry children or adults because those rich jerks need more tax cuts.

[twodogsbarking]

9. Just the need for child huger groups should be a tip off.

No child should go hungry.

[ck4829]

11. K&R