Nebraska joins summer EBT program
On Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, a press conference was held in the Warner Chamber at the Nebraska Capitol where Governor Jim Pillen announced that the state of Nebraska will participate in the USDA Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer Program (EBT). This was after Pillen announced in a previous press conference in December that Nebraska will not be participating in the program as he “does not believe in welfare.” This response resulted in Pillen receiving pressure, especially from individuals within his own party and bipartisan senators.
According to State Senator Jen Day, “The worry and concern that came along with that deadline passing and Nebraska not being opted in, that was what upset me.” Due to concerns, lawmakers and federal officials worked together to extend the deadline. From this, Day introduced Legislative Bill 952 which helped compel the Department of Health and Human Services DHHS of Nebraska to implement the program for the state.
The Electronic Benefits Transfer Program, otherwise known as EBT, is a summer program by The USDA that provides benefits to children who are less fortunate or have no means of acquiring adequate amounts of food. On Feb. 12, it was announced that the state of Nebraska would be receiving roughly $18 million in federal funding. According to Pillen, listening to kids talk about how at times they were hungry over the summer because they had little access to food changed his perspective on the EBT program. Pillen estimates that the program will provide free or reduced food prices to about 150,000 kids while also giving them an additional $40 a month.
While Nebraska is still being enrolled in the summer EBT program, Governor Jim Pillen announced that they will be doing it the “Nebraska way.” According to Department of Health and Human Services Interim Director Steve Corsi, the steps that will set apart Nebraska from other states are that they will “provide education about nutritious options parents can buy using these funds, create a website with information, reach out via phone to families eligible for the program to try and connect them to additional resources and text parents with additional resources.”
Program Manager for Food and Nutrition Access at Nebraska Appleseed Eric Savalno stated,
“We are beyond thrilled to hear that Nebraska will be participating in the Summer EBT program this summer and the summers to come. This will ensure that 150,000 kids will have the ability to access meals over the summer months and bring in $18 million to our state in economic benefits. This would not be possible without the tremendous amount of outreach and pressure the public put on our elected officials to do the right thing. We would especially like to thank Senator Jen Day and Senator Ray Aguilar for their leadership on this issue and for keeping the conversation going in the Legislature. We’d also like to thank Governor Jim Pillen for listening to our communities and Nebraska’s kids and we look forward to working with DHHS and NDE to implement this program over the next few months.”
More information can be found on 1011 News and AP News.
By Robert Tengker