Nebraska Will Sit Out New Federal Summer Food Benefit for Children, Governor's Office Says

Nebraska will not take part in a new federal summer nutrition program for children, according to Gov. Jim Pillen's administration. The state is passing up an estimated $18 million in benefits that would have reached families next summer.

The decision follows months of lobbying by food banks and other advocacy groups, who had urged the governor to enroll in the Summer EBT program. States have until Jan. 1 to tell the federal government whether they plan to participate.

Laura Strimple, a spokeswoman for Pillen, said in response to a query from the Nebraska Examiner that free meals are already available to young people during the summer through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as through summer camps, schools and community centers. "In addition to in-person meals, those locations offer recreational, educational and other enrichment opportunities, as well as resources, that are of added benefit to kids and important for their development," Strimple said. She did not offer further explanation.

Congress authorized the program, which is more permanent in nature, through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. It builds on pilot projects and a pandemic-era nationwide initiative that has since ended. Children whose household income qualifies them for free or reduced-price school lunches during the academic year would receive an electronic benefits transfer card. In Nebraska, each eligible child would have received a card loaded with $120 to help pay for food while school is out.

Nebraska Appleseed estimated that 150,000 Nebraska children would have benefited next summer. Eric Savaiano, the nonprofit's food and nutrition access manager, said the group was "deeply disappointed" and found the decision "difficult to understand." He said more families will struggle with food insecurity once summer arrives.

Appleseed's review, based on the state's involvement in the pandemic program, found Nebraska would have had to spend up to $300,000 a year to administer Summer EBT. During the pandemic, the federal government covered all administrative costs. States would also handle outreach and coordinate the agencies involved. Savaiano questioned the reasoning: "If it's a money issue, how can spending a mere $300,000 in state funds for administrative costs and receiving $18 million — a 60-fold return on investment — not make financial sense?" He added, "If it's an ideological issue, how can deciding that economically disadvantaged children are better off going hungry make moral sense?"

Fifteen state senators have also responded, sending a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services that asks the administration to reconsider. The letter acknowledges the governor has the final say but notes that DHHS and the Department of Education "also have decision-making power on this matter." Sen. Jen Day of Gretna, who led the effort, said many Nebraskans are struggling with the cost of living and growing hungry. "Opting into this program is imperative and not doing so is a huge moral and economic failure," she said.

The other signers were Sens. Carolyn Bosn, Eliot Bostar, George Dungan, Jane Raybould and Danielle Conrad of Lincoln; Machaela Cavanaugh, John Cavanaugh, Megan Hunt, Tony Vargas, Terrell McKinney and John Fredrickson of Omaha; Jana Hughes of Seward; Lynne Walz of Fremont; and Carol Blood of Bellevue.

USDA funding for the program is meant to supplement, not replace, existing family aid such as summer meal sites and the year-round Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, which oversees such programs, says more than 29 million children nationwide could benefit from Summer EBT in 2024.