Rep. Carter Nordman Photo courtesy of ballotpedia.org
There was a protest held at the capitol building in Des Moines earlier this month following the decision by Governor Kim Reynolds that the state would not participate in the summer EBT program.
House District 47 Representative Carter Nordman agrees with the governor because this was a covid-era program and he doesn’t believe it is needed because there are already established food and nutrition programs for kids. Those programs include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, the Summer Food Service Program and the Seemless Summer Option Program are both through the Iowa Department of Education.
“And importantly, these programs have a nutritional component to them as well. But it also allows us to keep an eye on some of these students and children using the program to ensure that they’re doing okay during the summer.”
Nordman points out the Summer Food Service Program and the Seemless Summer Option Program served over one million snacks and meals last year. He argues that the federal government wanted to create a whole new welfare program instead of channeling that money into existing food and nutrition programs.
The Iowa Hunger Coalition was one of the organizations that protested and has created a petition to urge the Iowa Legislature to bring the Summer EBT program back in 2025 and every year after that.