While food insecurity is increasing on Joe Lombardo’s watch, he vetoed a bill that would have guaranteed access to nutritious school meals for all public school students in Nevada and lowered costs for families. A report revealed that Northern Nevada parents have accrued more than $60,000 of debt due to Lombardo’s veto of guaranteed school meals. In August, because of Lombardo’s veto, Washoe County School District drained its savings meant to support staff salaries and cafeteria improvements to help fill the void for hardworking families and cover school meals for just the first month of the school year. Nevada families are spending more money this year than last on meals for their kids, with some parents going as far as starting GoFundMe fundraisers to pay off the debt. 

An independent fact check found that Joe Lombardo’s made-up excuse for vetoing guaranteed school meals for Nevada students, where he claimed they are “thrown away” by kids in “well-to-do neighborhoods,” is false. Last year, Lombardo flat-out lied about vetoing this legislation that would have provided meals for public school students in an interview with the Nevada Independent, falsely saying “I didn’t veto it.” 

Nevada State Democratic Party spokesperson Tai Sims: 

“At a time when families are struggling to make ends meet, Joe Lombardo’s vetoes continue to cost parents and have now driven them into debt. Even after seeing the harmful impact on hardworking families, Lombardo has continued to double down on his veto of Democrat-led legislation that would have fed hungry students to help them succeed in the classroom and put money back in parents’ pockets with false claims that have been debunked by independent fact-checkers.”