A Blow to Bipartisanship: Republican Anti-hunger Champion Will Hurd Speaks Out Before Leaving Congress

About This Episode

How do we improve access to school meal programs during the COVID-19 pandemic? Congressman Will Hurd (TX 23) talks to Billy Shore about the root causes of childhood hunger, working in Congress and making better use of technology to deliver federal assistance to those who need it. Hurd is well known for his bipartisan work in Washington. “The only way big things have ever been done in Washington DC is if you do them together. I’m of the opinion that… way more unites us as a country than divides us. Let’s focus on those things rather than those issues on the fringe that we may never agree on.” Shore states that two months after Congress approved billions to replace school meals, only 15% of eligible kids are getting it. “Oftentimes we have these programs that have support, but because of the inefficiencies of how we deliver that support, it takes a long time to get to the intended beneficiaries,” explains Hurd. He believes the current pandemic is showing us that we can do better. “’Recovery’ means you go back to a place that we’ve already been. I want to be in a better place. How do we use federal dollars for our states to be better prepared to use digital tools to extend that federal support that you already have?,” he says. Listen to a very effective Congressmen talk about his passion for making sure hungry kids are fed and his practical solutions for overcoming the roadblocks.