Nebraska Appleseed Responds to the Governor’s State of the State

LINCOLN, NE – Today, Nebraska Appleseed Executive Director Becky Gould issued the following statement in response to the Governor’s State of the State address:

“Far too many of our neighbors are struggling right now to make ends meet as the costs of housing, health care, food, and child care continue to rise. Instead of working toward positive solutions to give Nebraskans the good life, our leaders are creating and celebrating barriers to progress for all of our communities. 

Governor Pillen celebrated SNAP food restrictions and Medicaid work requirements before the harmful effects of those changes have been felt. He also touted the large-scale detention facility in McCook that serves to separate our communities rather than unite us.

Nebraska’s Legislature needs to step up to keep Nebraska’s current SNAP program intact, ensure that Nebraskans can access health care through a strong Medicaid program, and commit to implementing Medicaid work requirements and other changes in a way that prevents even more coverage losses and cuts. 

Elected officials also need to come together to protect longtime community members from deportation and family separation. Nebraska is safer and stronger when we welcome and include our neighbors who are stuck in limbo despite their best efforts to navigate long-outdated immigration laws.

It’s critical that all Nebraskans are able to continue to put food on the table, afford health care and child care, access safe and affordable housing, and earn a fair wage. We look forward to working with our fellow community members to advance common-sense policies that support working families and strengthen our communities across the state.”