Texas is passing up nearly $350 million in federal aid to help feed millions of low-income children during the summer months after a state agency said it lacked the time and resources to implement the program this year.
Summer EBT, a new U.S. Department of Agriculture program approved by Congress in 2022, will provide families in participating states with funds to buy groceries to fill the void when their children are not receiving meals at school. The benefits — $40 per eligible child per month — will be dispensed via “electronic benefit transfer” cards, similar to a prepaid debit card, for three months.
The majority of states, as well as several territories and tribal nations, have signed onto the program. Texas is among a minority of 16 states not participating.
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USDA spokesperson Allan Rodriguez pushed back on Texas health officials’ reasoning, saying the agency provided an “unprecedented level of guidance and support” to states in the months leading up to the rollout.
“The fact that 44 states, territories and tribes are moving forward in the program’s inaugural year shows that states have had the information they needed,” Rodriguez said. “Those that do not launch the program this summer will have future opportunities to opt-in, and we will keep working with every state and tribe to set them up for success in doing so.”
How else do you expect them to power their orphan crushing machine?
So much for “think of the children”.
They need the money for more important things like children. Tax breaks for rich party donors, for example. Hungry children do not donate money to the Republican parties and their PACs.
Don’t forget money for prosecuting woman for miscarriages, or crossing state lines for abortions. Those lawyers aren’t going to fash for free, yanno.
Shitty grid, starving children, racist deputized border agents arresting American citizens. Texas is a 3rd world country.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it as many times as I need to. I’ve lived in “3rd world countries”, and I’ve lived in Texas. Texas is worse.
It’s also such a dehumanising concept. The ‘First World’ is the Anglosphere and Western Europe, the ‘Second World’ is the Sovietsphere, and the ‘Third World’ is just everything else. How the hell are Eritrea, India, the UAE and Brazil in any way related to one another or even similar? What a stupid way to group nations that’s extremely outdated for the modern world.
While I prefer the modern term ‘Global South’ as encompassing developing nations, it still has its own issues - particularly as an Australian because we’re southern hemispheric but definitely don’t fall under the banner of ‘Global South’.
Texas never stops breaking my lone star heart.
I couldn’t take it anymore and fled a couple years ago to go live with the yankees. Pop a Saint Arnold’s for me.
Damn I miss good Tex-Mex.
