On the Friday before Christmas, Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that her state would opt out of a federal program that gives $40 per month to children who receive free and reduced-cost lunch to help with food costs while school is out.
The 2024 Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children — or Summer EBT — program is, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, based on USDA's Summer EBT for Children demonstration projects and Pandemic EBT. Despite Congress making the pandemic-era benefit, which was shown to reduce hunger and increase diet quality, permanent, Reynolds is skeptical.
