State Senator's Comments on Hunger Raise Eyebrows

It's not clear exactly how many Minnesotans state Sen. Steve Drazkowski has met in his lifetime or during his 16 years in politics, but they have apparently all fallen into one category: well-fed. "I have yet to meet a person in Minnesota that is hungry," the Republican said Tuesday prior to a vote on providing free school meals for all K-12 students. "I have yet to meet a person in Minnesota that says they don't have access to enough food to eat."

• He followed it up with a joke: "Now, I should say that hunger is a relative term. I had a cereal bar for breakfast. I guess I'm hungry now."
• About the bill: HF 5 passed 38-26 and is expected to get Gov. Tim Walz's signature, per NBC News.
• Food stat I: Per a tweet from state Sen. Heather Gustafson, who authored the bill: "1 in 5 students in Sen. Drazkowski's district qualifies for free and reduced lunch."
• Food stat II: Business Insider cites Feeding America's count that roughly 340,000 Minnesotans are facing hunger, nearly a third of them children.
• Food stat III: The nonprofit Hunger Solutions Minnesota says food pantries in the state logged 5.5 million visits in 2022, a record high, reports the Washington Post.
• Less charged criticism: Per the Post, other critics of the bill didn't dismiss food insecurity issues but said the bill's $200 million annual cost would be better spent on other educational needs, such as special education, mental health support, and maintenance.

(More Minnesota stories.)