Minnesota kids will get free school lunches statewide, no thanks to a Republican state senator who voted against the bill because he’s never seen a hungry child in his state.
“I have not met a person in Minnesota who is hungry,” Republican state senator Steve Drazkowski said Tuesday on the Senate floor in St. Paul before the vote against the legislation. “I have yet to meet a person in Minnesota who says they don’t have access to enough food.”
About 1 in 6 Minnesota children are food insecure, meaning they don’t know where or when the next meal will be available, according to a fact sheet from anti-hunger groups in support of the bill.
“Hunger makes learning almost impossible,” said Sen. Heather Gustafson, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, on the Senate floor. “Let the children eat it.”
During the argument, Drazkowski called the proposed program “pure socialism.”
“Now, I have to say that hunger is a relative term,” Drazkowski added. “I had a cereal bar for breakfast. I think I’m hungry now.”
If Drazkowski wants to find one of the hungry kids he claims he “hasn’t met,” he can check the district he represents. In Wabasha County, more than 8% of children will live in poverty in 2021, up from about 7% the previous year, according to the Federal Reserve of Economic Data.
Despite Drazkowski’s opposition, the measure passed on a 38-26 vote and is expected to be signed into law by Democratic Governor Tim Walz. Once signed, Minnesota will join other states, including California and Colorado, in offering free meals to children.