Iowa won’t participate in U.S. food assistance program for kids this summer

Kim Reynolds said in a press release that “federal COVID-era cash benefit programs. don’t provide long-term solutions for the issues impacting children and families.” Iowa will not participate this summer in a federal program that gives $40 per month to each child in a low-income family to help with food costs while school is out, state officials have announced. The state has notified the U.S. Department of Agriculture that it will not participate in the 2024 Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children — or Summer EBT — program, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education said in a Friday news release. She added, “If the Biden Administration and Congress want to make a real commitment to family well-being, they should invest in already existing programs and infrastructure at the state level and give us the flexibility to tailor them to our state’s needs.” States that participate in the federal program are required to cover half of the administrative costs, which would cost an estimated $2.2 million in Iowa, the news release says. “This cruel and short-sighted decision will have real impacts on children and families in my district and communities all across Iowa.” Officials in nearby Nebraska also announced last week that the state will not participate in Summer EBT, which would cost Nebraska about $300,000 annually in administrative costs, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.