Kim’s edict: Let them eat cake

I’ve risen above party loyalty. I worry about the Iowa Republican Party, too. A D.C. friend said to me of Gov. Kim Reynolds, “She can’t be as empty as she sounds.” I leapt to her defense, “Yes, she can.”

Reynolds’ explanation of why she had joined with 14 other Republican governors in rejecting a federal program to feed kids during the summer when their school lunch was not available was beyond ridiculous. The summer program is not some liberal woke craziness. It was approved as part of a bipartisan budget agreement in 2022.

Reynolds said obesity was the problem, implying that hunger isn’t. If 35% of kids in Iowa are obese, 65% are not. Begrudgingly, I say thank God she is governor, and not your nutritionist. I’m glad, by the way, she is not trying to cure athletes’ foot or ingrown toenails. Surgery would probably be her solution.

Iowa does have a high obesity rate, although it is much higher among adults than kids covered in this summer program. Obesity is a national problem with over 30% of adults hitting the scales as fat.

Kim is not alone or the worst. Republican governors will not let the program function in their states. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen declared, “I don’t believe in welfare.” No Democrat has turned down money for the program, and some caring Republicans have signed on.

Here is the headline and lede that drew my attention: “Republican governors in 15 states are rejecting a new federally funded program to give food assistance to hungry children during the summer months.”

Denying benefits to millions of children across the country is not why they were elected. The program would feed 21 million kids starting soon after schools close. Money from the $2.5 billion relief fund would come here to cover costs as it would across the country.

Here's another report: “The governors have given varying reasons for refusing to take part, from the price tag to the fact that the final details of the plan have yet to be worked out.”

Republican leaders have been criticized for playing politics with children in need, but they argue it is necessary to get back to pre-pandemic spending levels at a time when the United States is trillions of dollars in debt and lawmakers in Washington are struggling to come to a budget agreement.

Tom Vilsack, once governor and now Secretary of Agriculture, said, noting that the program has support from other Republicans and Democrats, “There isn’t really a political reason for not doing this. This is unfortunate. I think governors may not have taken the time or made the effort to understand what this program is and what it is not.”

Here is information for Kim: “It will provide families with incomes below the poverty level who already get school lunches for a reduced price or free with $120 per child to buy food at grocery stores, farmers markets or other approved retailers.”

So far, 35 states, five U.S. territories and four Native American tribes will be participating. Iowa should be among them. Please, governor, listen to the cries of kids who are needlessly hungry because of you.

Norman Sherman of Coralville has worked extensively in politics, including as Vice President Hubert Humphrey’s press secretary.