Jim Pillen criticized after comments on feeding Nebraska’s hungry kids
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen was recently criticized after comments he made yesterday surrounding food security and feeding hungry kids in the state. Speaking on Twitter, the governor declared that the current S-EBT program was not doing enough to support Nebraska’s kids. Furthermore, he went on to say how this system could be improved upon on his website. This caused quite a stir with a number of his constituents who called Pillen out for hypocritical behaviour.
Specifically, his statement said: ‘Addressing food insecurity is critical, but S-EBT—a federal program leftover from the COVID-19 pandemic is not adequate to meet the needs of hungry kids in Nebraska. They deserve better.’
Responding to this, one user named Jen sacrastically quipped: “Sure, let’s go ahead and tell struggling single parents who can’t afford food that they deserve better, but not the $18m in federal funds that our tax dollars already paid, for a program that is ready to go for this summer. You’re a horrible excuse for a governor.”
Similarly, another user named Andrew Brinkman added: “The under-18 poverty rate is 12.2% according to UNO. The total Nebraska population under 18 is ~500,000 (according to census data). So, there are ~61,000 kids in Nebraska under the poverty line. Why not help the 41K not served by SFSP? Every dollar helps a family in need.”
Somewhat understandably, Pillen’s criticism of S-EBT went down like a lead baloon.
