"A cruel, despicable man" - Martina Navratilova condemns Florida governor Ron DeSantis for rejecting food aid for low-income family children

Martina Navratilova has called Florida governor Ron DeSantis "a cruel, despicable man" for opting out of a federal program that would have provided $120 to help feed low-income children during the summer.

Florida was among 15 states that opted out of the Summer EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) program, a Congress-approved initiative aimed at assisting children who rely on free and reduced-price school lunches during summer breaks.

This lack of participation from the state implies that approximately 2.1 million eligible children's families will miss out on additional assistance for grocery expenses.

According to Cindy Huddleston, a senior policy analyst at the Florida Policy Institute, the program's overall economic and social benefits would have far surpassed the administrative costs.

Huddleston estimated Florida's loss in economic impact at $388 million to $466 million, emphasizing the positive impact on the local economy that the program could have had (via Miami Herald).

An X (formerly Twitter) user shared the article exposing the state’s decision.

"This is one of the myriad of reasons why I am celebrating Ron DeSantis political dead-end.." the user wrote.

Navratilova, who is known for her outspoken views on social and political issues, quoted the user's tweet and criticized DeSantis for his lack of compassion and leadership.

"Our governor, Ron DeSantis, is a cruel, despicable man," Navratilova wrote.

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Martina Navratilova blasts former US President Donald Trump for allegedly pocketing millions from foreign sources

Martina Navratilova at the 2023 WTA Finals

Martina Navratilova recently voiced her disapproval regarding the revelations that former president Donald Trump purportedly accepted millions of dollars from foreign governments during his tenure.

This alleged action is said to be against the U.S. Constitution's emoluments clause, which prohibits federal officials from receiving any form of compensation or valuable items from a foreign state, its leaders, or representatives.

As per a House Oversight Committee report, Trump's various business ventures reportedly received at least $7.8 million in payments from foreign governments while he was president. This included substantial sums from China and Saudi Arabia, with the actual total possibly exceeding the reported amount (via The New Republic).

An X user shared the article and wrote:

"We know Trump took $5 million from the Chinese government while in office. This is insanity, basic violation of the oldest anticorruption law in our country, the emoluments clause, and blatantly disloyal and corrupt."

Martina Navratilova quoted the user's tweet and sarcastically wrote:

"They are supposed to return all presents that are worth something like a 100, but 5 million - no problem!!!"