Republican Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds introduced just a few days earlier than Christmas that her state wouldn’t take part in a summer season federal meals program for impoverished youngsters, which has prompted backlash on-line.
Reynolds, who has served because the governor of the Hawkeye State since 2017, introduced on Friday that Iowa wouldn’t be becoming a member of different states within the federal 2024 Summer season Digital Advantages Switch for Youngsters (EBT) program, which gives low-income households with $40 per youngster per thirty days to assist with meals prices whereas faculties are closed, the Related Press reported. Over 200,000 youngsters within the state would qualify beneath this system.
In a joint assertion from the Iowa Division of Well being and Human Companies and Division of Training, Reynolds defined her reasoning.
“Federal COVID-era money profit packages aren’t sustainable and do not present long-term options for the problems impacting youngsters and households,” the governor mentioned mentioned. “An EBT card does nothing to advertise vitamin at a time when childhood weight problems has develop into an epidemic. If the Biden Administration and Congress wish to make an actual dedication to household well-being, they need to spend money on already present packages and infrastructure on the state degree and provides us the pliability to tailor them to our state’s wants.”
Reynolds’ announcement was, in flip, met with a substantial quantity of scorn on-line, significantly given its proximity to Christmas. A number of social media customers took to X, the platform beforehand referred to as Twitter, to vent their frustrations with Reynolds.
“Merry Christmas from Kim Reynolds!!” a put up from the official Drake College Democrats account learn. “She is declining $29 million from the feds that might assist feed 240,000 Iowa children! She is actively making youngsters go hungry. She’ll go down in historical past as one of many worst Iowa governors. No surprise she’s probably the most unpopular US governor. Coward.”
A July survey from Morning Seek the advice of discovered that Reynolds had a 54 % approval score and a 42 % disapproval score. Whereas within the survey’s decrease half, she nonetheless outranked a number of different distinguished governors, together with Republicans like Greg Abbott of Texas and Tate Reeves of Mississippi.
“Proper-wing Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds had the audacity to quote youngster weight problems as she defended her determination to deprive poor children of meals,” writer and journalist Mark Jacob wrote in his personal put up.
“Iowa Republican Governor Kim Reynolds will not present free lunches to Iowa youngsters however she could have them working in harmful jobs in violation of federal youngster labor legal guidelines,” political scientist David Darmofal wrote.
Newsweek reached out to Reynolds’ workplace through e-mail for remark.
Darmofal’s put up made reference to the Republican-led Iowa authorities’s latest efforts to broaden the state’s parameters for underage employees, a pattern seen amongst different GOP-led states, which has been extensively condemned by critics as an effort to weaken youngster labor legal guidelines.
As defined in a September put up from the Iowa Senate Democratic Get together, sure points of this enlargement violate federal youngster labor legal guidelines, particularly these permitting “16- and 17-year-olds to function harmful power-driven machines, have interaction in heavy manufacturing, and work in demolition,” and never requiring “16- and 17-year-olds working in apprenticeship or student-learner roles to be registered by the U.S. Division of Labor or a state company.”
Unusual Data
Newsweek is dedicated to difficult standard knowledge and discovering connections within the seek for widespread floor.
Newsweek is dedicated to difficult standard knowledge and discovering connections within the seek for widespread floor.