Minnesota GOP Senator Denies Hunger in State, Sparks Outrage

Minnesota State Senator Steve Drazkowski, a Republican, opposed a bill to provide meals for all students, saying he had "yet to meet a person in Minnesota who is hungry." The bill's author, Democratic-Farmer-Labor Senator Heather Gustafson, argued that nearly 275,000 Minnesota K-12 students are on free and reduced meals, and roughly one in six are "food insecure." Drazkowski framed the bill as a form of "socialism" and pushed to use the money instead to boost proficiency levels in reading and math. The bill passed the state senate by a vote of 38-26 and Governor Tim Walz said he would sign it into law.