$1 Billion

About $660 million in federal funds allocated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to states for schools and child care programs to purchase food from local agricultural producers has recently been canceled. The Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program was created to provide nutritious, minimally-processed and locally grown options for schools and child care centers, strengthening the food system, building a local food chain, and expanding markets for small local producers. Also cut was a $500 million allotment to the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which supports food banks, for a total of $1 billion between the two programs. 

The program was announced in Nebraska in 2023, with an initial investment of $1.4 million for school programs to source and purchase local produce, grains and meats from producers within 400 miles of the school. The program aligned with Senator Tom Brandt’s LB 396, signed by then-Governor Pete Ricketts in 2021, called the Nebraska Farm-to-School Program Act. At that time, Rural Prosperity Nebraska reported that more than 90% of food was being imported from outside the state, and that they hoped Nebraska producers could earn a larger share of the $65 to $70 million in food purchases made every year just for school food programs. According to the USDA’s Farm to School Census, 57% of participants in Farm-to-School programs reported increased access to better quality foods, 54% reported increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, and 44% reported increased positive perception of school meals among staff. Of the $372,000 spent in the 2023-2024 school year in the program, $258,000 was spent on Nebraska beef products. 

1.0

LB 161, introduced by Senator Margo Juarez makes a small, but critical change to Nebraska’s Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act (TEEOSA), the formula by which state aid to schools is calculated. The bill would change the current practice of counting Pre-K students at 60% of a full time Kindergarten through 12th grade student and calculate all students equally for the purposes of state aid. The bill was heard in the Education Committee on February 10. 

According to statistics compiled by the National Institute for Early Education Research, Nebraska currently ranks 44th in state spending on early childhood education. Approximately 92% of Nebraska public school districts offer some form of Pre-K education. 

Early childhood programs are widely recognized as an effective tool to boost achievement. A random assignment experiment conducted by the Perry Preschool Program in Michigan started in the 1960s and followed students through age 40. In its study, researchers found participants in the preschool program were more likely to have higher earnings, lower public assistance and lower rates of criminal activity than children in a control group who did not receive early childhood education. Research has also shown that state investment in early childhood education can be a powerful economic development tool. Parents with access to quality childcare are able to work more hours and thus earn more money to spend in their community, boosting our local economies and the state at large. 

17%

Congress is currently undertaking the task of finding the spending cuts outlined in their budget resolution, which is all but certain to result in significant cuts to the Medicaid program. According to a KFF Health Tracking Poll, just 17% of Americans say they support a reduction in Medicaid spending, with 40% supporting maintaining the current level and 42% supporting an increase. 

Overwhelming support of the program may be due to the fact that most Americans have a personal connection to Medicaid, designed to provide health care benefits for low-income or disabled individuals. About 53% of adults surveyed shared that they or a family member has received support under Medicaid at some point, including 51% of rural adults identifying it as “Somewhat Important” or “Very Important” for themselves and their family. 

The KFF study examined common misconceptions about Medicaid. When asked whether participants believed that most working-age adults who receive Medicaid are working or unemployed, 62% of respondents incorrectly replied that most are unemployed. About 46% of those surveyed said they were either unsure or believed that undocumented immigrants can enroll in Medicaid, which is false.