re: Landry folds - will whore himself to feds to give out free food to poors this summer

quote:

---

Republican leaders in the Louisiana Legislature started to push last week for Louisiana to join a new federal summer food program for needy children, even after GOP Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration and K-12 schools chief Cade Brumley declined to participate months ago.

Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, and state Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, said they will meet with state officials this week to insist the food assistance comes to Louisiana this summer, when children are home from school.

Henry said he expects state agencies to make progress toward launching the program in the next two weeks, before the Louisiana Senate Finance Committee convenes to review the state budget proposal.

“We will do whatever we’ve got to do” to get the children’s food program in place for the summer, McFarland told the Louisiana House of Representatives during a budget debate Thursday.

Last week marks the first time Republican state officials have taken a firm, public stance in favor of Louisiana joining the federal Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children, or Summer EBT. The GOP-controlled Louisiana House voted unanimously for a budget plan Thursday that included $3.6 million to take part in the initiative.

In exchange for those few million dollars of state money, Louisiana could receive as much as $71 million in federal assistance to help feed 594,000 children through Summer EBT, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates.

The federal government would provide an extra $40 per month per qualifying child in electronic food-buying benefits to low-income households while children are on summer break. President Joe Biden’s administration created the program to help families deal with higher grocery store costs when their children don’t have access to free and reduced-price meals at school.

The money would not only benefit low-income families but also Louisiana grocery stores because people would have more money to spend on food.

---