Minnesota GOP Senator Claims No Hungry Residents, Despite Push for Free School Meals

Republican state senator Steve Drazkowski voted against a bill to provide free breakfast and lunch for school students in Minnesota, saying he had never met anyone in the state who was hungry. The bill's author, Democratic-Farmer-Labor Sen. Heather Gustafson, said almost 275,000 students in the state get free and reduced-price school meals, and another 18% of students who would be likely to qualify haven't submitted the necessary paperwork. The measure passed by a vote of 38-26 and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz.