OurTupelo

The U.S Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a Mississippi case involving the counting of mail-in ballots received after Election Day, a case that could have a ripple effect nationwide. 

The justices agreed to take up an appeal from Mississippi after a panel of three judges appointed by President Donald Trump on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year that the state law allowing ballots that arrive shortly after Election Day to be counted violated federal law.

Mississippi is among 18 states and the District of Columbia that accept mailed ballots received after Election Day as long as the ballots are postmarked on or before that date, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In this case, the Republican National Committee and the Libertarian Party of Mississippi sued Secretary of State Michael Watson, the official who administers elections. They argued that Congress alone can set a date by which voters must make their choice, not individual states.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office is defending Watson in court, arguing that the five-day window after Election Day does not provide additional days for voters to cast a ballot. Rather, it’s simply an extra cushion for election workers to count the ballots. 

“Under federal law, election day is the day for voters to conclusively choose federal officers. Voters make that conclusive choice by casting — marking and submitting — their ballots by election day,” Fitch’s office wrote in court papers. 

The litigation created an unusual scenario where Fitch and Watson, both Republicans, had to fight their own political party in court to defend Mississippi’s law. 

U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr., a George W. Bush-appointed judge, initially ruled last year in Gulfport that there was no conflict between the state law and federal laws. But the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit later reversed him. 

The U.S. Supreme Court has not set a date for oral arguments, but it would likely be argued during the spring. The Court would then likely issue a ruling in the summer of 2026. 

Mississippi Today’s Michael Goldberg, Geoff Pender and Taylor Vance break down last week’s special legislative elections, where Democrats gained three seats. Goldberg complains of a dearth of election-night pizza.

President Donald Trump finally found a line he would not cross when it comes to ignoring existing laws while carrying out his agenda.

And the line that he believes was constitutionally uncrossable was continuing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during the government shutdown. In the president’s mind, it was a bridge too far to provide food assistance to poor people while a congressional stalemate halted most government services.

During his presidential tenure, Trump has challenged a litany of laws. He  argued he did not have to fund certain programs even though there were laws passed by Congress mandating those programs be funded.

After Congress and Mexico refused to provide money for a border wall in his first term, Trump shifted funds from other programs to begin work on the wall.

During this term, he has made himself judge, jury and executioner, killing people he said were drug dealers in international waters without providing any evidence. 

He has taken it upon himself to demolish the East Wing of the White House, though many would argue there are guidelines – even laws – he should follow in making such substantial changes to the nation’s most iconic building.

Just last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on whether he could usurp the constitutional authority of Congress and impose tariffs on his own.

Heck, he has even hinted at running for a third presidential term despite constitutional provisions clearly preventing such an effort.

During the shutdown that started at the beginning of October, Trump has found money to ensure that members of the military were paid, though there are questions of whether that is legal. Yet, no one challenged the paying of the troops. Most thought that was a good thing.

The list goes on and on of times when Trump, in the view of many, took actions contrary to existing laws. It should be pointed out that courts often cited his broad presidential powers in allowing him to avoid adhering to those laws.

But providing food assistance to about 43 million low-income Americans – about 40% of those being children – is the time when Trump said it would be illegal for his administration to act. He suddenly became a strict adherer of the law.

Never mind that some even argued that discontinuing the program during a government shutdown is illegal.

After all, never in the long and sordid history of government shutdowns has any other president stopped the food assistance program.

When lawsuits were filed, the Trump administration took the step of arguing in court that the program should be discontinued.

And after federal judges ruled that the program should be at least partially funded, Trump has sent mixed signals on whether his administration would follow the judicial order.

In Mississippi about 385,000 people  – 12.13% of the population – receive SNAP benefits, with about 163,000 of those recipients being children. Mississippi has the nation’s 20th highest percentage of its population receiving SNAP benefits, according to numbers provided earlier this summer by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the program. It is surprising the percentage is not higher since Mississippi has the nation’s highest percentage of people living in poverty.

According to USDA numbers, 67% of the benefits in Mississippi go to families with children and 41% are distributed to families with members who are elderly or disabled.

The monthly benefit in Mississippi averages about $180 per person.

A substantial number of needy Mississippians depend on the program.

Yet, no member of the Republican leadership in Mississippi – on the state or federal level – has made a public statement to gently argue to their fellow Republican in the White House that stopping the food assistance program might not be the right course of action.

As the shutdown in the program loomed, Gov. Tate Reeves to much fanfare announced he was asking for federal permission to ban recipients from using the benefits to purchase sugary soft drinks and food. But it was crickets from the governor when it came to asking the president to continue SNAP, even as pediatricians and lawmakers called on Reeves to help hungry Mississippians.

Unlike some other states, Mississippi has taken no action to provide state funds as a substitute for the loss of federal SNAP benefits during the shutdown.

In Congress, no member of the Mississippi congressional delegation spoke up for their constituents who depend on SNAP. Mississippi U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith were silent.

If Trump said the program could not be continued, it must be so, they reasoned.

People in some U.S. states are able to buy groceries with federally funded SNAP benefits, while those in other states — including Mississippi — are still waiting for November food aid that is delayed by a protracted legal battle over the federal government shutdown.

“If you need more food resources during this shutdown, we encourage you to reach out to the food bank that serves your local area to locate food assistance near you,” the Mississippi Department of Human Services said in an Oct. 24 press release. The department had not updated that statement on its website by Saturday.

The Trump administration initially said last month that it would not fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for November because of the shutdown. The twists and turns since have exacerbated uncertainty for the nearly 1 in 8 Americans who receive monthly SNAP benefits to spend at grocery stores and farmer’s markets.

On Friday, some states began issuing full monthly SNAP benefits to people, a day after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to provide the funds.

But Friday night, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson temporarily paused that judicial order to allow time for an appeals court to decide whether to issue a more lasting halt. Jackson acted because she handles emergency matters from Massachusetts.

How are SNAP recipients faring?

Nearly 42 million Americans receive SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, for help buying groceries. Most have incomes below the poverty line, which is about $32,000 for a family of four.

An individual can receive a monthly maximum food benefit of nearly $300 and a family of four up to nearly $1,000, although many receive less than that under a formula that takes into consideration their income.

The delay in payments has led to a surge in demand at food banks and pantries across the country, as well as long lines for free meals or drive-thru giveaways.

Some states have provided emergency funding to food banks to help them respond to the increased need. Some states also used their own dollars to fund direct payments to people while the federal benefits were in limbo.

In Mississippi, leaders of the state chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics are calling on Republican Gov. Tate Reeves to put state money toward food aid. He has not publicly responded.

“Families already struggling to make ends meet will be forced to choose between food, utilities, and medicine,” chapter President Dr. Patricia Tibbs and Vice President Dr. David Reeves wrote in a public letter to the governor in late October. “Hospitals and clinics will inevitably bear the burden of increased malnutrition and preventable illness. Our children, the future of this state, will suffer the most.”

Where have people already received benefits?

Whether SNAP beneficiaries see money on their electronic benefits transfer cards depends on where they live.

In Hawaii, Oregon and Wisconsin, officials worked quickly after a judge ordered full benefit payments Thursday to instruct their EBT providers to process the full payments.

“We moved with haste once we verified everything,” Joseph Campos II, deputy director of Hawaii’s Department of Human Services, told The Associated Press.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said state employees “worked through the night” to issue full November benefits “to make sure every Oregon family relying on SNAP could buy groceries” over the weekend.

Officials in California, Kansas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington also confirmed that some SNAP recipients were issued their full November payments on Friday.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, said more than 250,00 households that missed their regular monthly SNAP payment during the first week of November received their full amount on Friday. The remaining beneficiaries would receive their November funds on their regularly scheduled dates later this month — if distribution does not remain blocked by legal challenges.

The Trump administration said in a legal filing with the Supreme Court that “there is no ready mechanism for the government to recover those funds” that already have been distributed.

How long might residents elsewhere wait?

Before Jackson ordered a pause, Colorado and Massachusetts had said SNAP participants could receive their full November payments as soon as Saturday. New York had said access to full SNAP benefits should begin by Sunday. New Hampshire had said full benefits should be available over the weekend.

And Arizona, Connecticut and Minnesota all had said that full SNAP benefits should be accessible in the coming days.

Whether people actually will receive those benefits on their EBT cards remains unclear.

For peoples in some other states, the wait appears likely to extend into next week. Numerous state officials said they had been waiting for further guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP.

What has been holding up November benefits?

Because of the federal government shutdown, the Trump administration originally had said SNAP benefits would not be available in November. After two judges ruled the administration could not skip November’s benefits entirely, the administration said it would use an emergency reserve fund containing more than $4.6 billion to provide partial benefits in November.

A judge on Thursday said that wasn’t good enough, and ordered other funds to be used to make the full monthly payment. The Trump administration appealed, asking a higher court to suspend any orders that require it to spend more money than is available in the contingency fund. That is what led to Jackson’s temporary hold issued late Friday.

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Mississippi Today Health Reporter Gwen Dilworth and Editor-in-Chief Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson contributed to this report, as did Associated Press reporters from across the U.S.

After months of uncertainty over its future, an online resource for tracking the financial cost of weather and climate disasters throughout the United States has been revived.

The U.S. Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database was previously managed by a team at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. Since 1980, the program has been responsible for analyzing wildfires, tornadoes, winter storms and other disasters that cause at least $1 billion in damage. But it was retired in May, one among several NOAA products and services to get shuttered by President Donald Trump’s administration this year. 

Now, a nonprofit called Climate Central, which communicates climate change science and solutions, has hired the scientist who led the project at NOAA, Adam Smith, and has taken on the responsibility of compiling and releasing the latest data.

In the first six months of 2025, there were 14 disasters with damages costing just over $101 billion in total. Many of them occurred throughout the Mississippi River Basin. Mississippi, where storms have caused $1.8 billion in damage, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Tennessee were among the hardest hit by severe storms and tornadoes, which caused just over $40 billion in damage. 

The January wildfires in Los Angeles resulted in approximately $60 billion in damages — making it the most expensive wildfire on record. 

Zachary Labe, a climate scientist at Climate Central, said they brought back the database because they “were hearing from every single sector how important this data is for decision-making and understanding areas that are increasingly at risk for billion-dollar disasters.” 

Among those who have typically relied on the database are policy makers, researchers, and local communities. It’s especially important for planning disaster relief and emergency management efforts “because they can focus resources on areas that are seeing big trends in the number of billion-dollars disasters,” Labe said.

Bryan Koon, president and chief executive officer of the consulting firm Innovative Emergency Management, said the analysis is helpful. His company works with government agencies and other organizations to help with disaster preparedness, response and recovery. 

“These kinds of data sets are very important in the broad scope, at least from my perspective, for trend analysis,” Koon said. 

In states like Missouri, for example, he said his company and other interest groups can analyze previous billion-dollar disaster data on tornadoes and their frequency over the past decade or two. That information can be used to inform how insurance companies write their policies, how buildings are designed and how notification systems are structured.

“I want to make sure that we, as a nation, wrap our arms around as much information about these things as we can so that we communicate the threat of future disasters for Americans,” Koon said.

The Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative — a cooperative of more than 100 communities between Minnesota and Louisiana — pushed the Trump administration to keep the database open, according to executive director Colin Wellenkamp.

“It was a critical database that showed us where costs associated with disasters were most impactful. What sectors of the economy were hit the hardest by a disaster? Whether it be intense heat, flooding, drought, forest fire, named storm event or otherwise,” Wellenkamp said.

From a cost-benefit analysis standpoint, said Wellenkamp, the database can tell cities, counties and states how to spend resources on mitigation to avoid incurring similar costs from future disasters. But industries like manufacturing, construction and agriculture also want to see the data, he said. That’s because the database’s financial impact analysis includes physical damage to commercial and residential property, losses associated with business interruption and crop destruction, damage to electrical infrastructure and more.

Other stakeholders that see the value of the database are both the insurance and re-insurance industries.

Franklin Nutter is the president of the Reinsurance Association of America, one of the largest trade groups in the country. The goal of reinsurance is to provide insurance for the insurance companies, stabilizing the industry and playing a role in “the financial management of natural disaster losses,” according to the association’s website. 

“It’s like an iceberg: the public is made aware of the impact of extreme weather by seeing the graphics (the tip of the iceberg) but most commercial users value the underlying data (the body of the iceberg),” said Nutter by email.

While the billion-dollar disaster data is valuable to financial stakeholders, Nutter said he believes its greatest value comes from providing “public awareness of the increasing extreme weather risk.”

There are many factors that come together to make a billion-dollar disaster — such as weather, infrastructure, population and location. Labe said that the number of events has been increasing since 1980. 

“It’s very likely that 2025 will not be the costliest year on record when we look at the statistics, but it definitely falls into this long-term increasing trend,” he said.

Climate Central is not the only organization trying to pick up the pieces of a resource that was shut down by the federal government or is at risk. 

Last month, amid growing concerns over the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative announced it would be partnering with a nonprofit called Convoy of Hope to provide aid within 72 hours of disasters for communities along the Mississippi River. 

But Wellenkamp said there aren’t many states that can afford the response and recovery efforts from a billion-dollar disaster.

“These (initiatives) are not meant to be permanent solutions,” Wellenkamp said. “These are not meant to replace federal capacity. They are meant to put our cities in a relatively secure position until the federal questions are answered. And the sooner that those answers come, the better.”

For many, the answers will require data. 

“Just because the federal government decided they’re not going to do it anymore doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing,” Koon said.

This story is a product of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent reporting network based at the University of Missouri in partnership with Report for America, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation.

Most Mississippi public universities saw an increase in student enrollment for the fall semester compared to last year, according to an annual data report the Institutions of Higher Learning board released Monday. For regional institutions like Delta State University and Mississippi University for Women, that growth means victory. 

Overall, the state’s public institutions saw a 2.7% increase in enrollment with more than 81,961 students on campuses this fall compared to 79,817 students enrolled last year. 

The W, located in Columbus, had the largest enrollment increase of the eight public universities: 8.1% or 2,371 students. That’s the university’s largest enrollment growth in over a decade. 

“We had increases in both new students and in continuing students, so recruitment and retention strategies are having a positive impact,” Nora Miller, president of The W, said in a press release. 

Delta State, another regional institution located in Cleveland, enrolled 2,791 students this fall — a 5.2% increase from 2024. The university also had its highest freshman enrollment growth since the pandemic: a 38% increase from fall 2024. 

“This milestone reflects the exceptional value of a Delta State education, the dedication of our faculty and staff, and the growing confidence families place in our mission to transform lives through innovative, student-centered learning,” Delta State President Dan Ennis, said in a press release. 

Delta State also enrolled 18% more transfer students this year than in 2024, and has 33% more first-time graduates, according to the university. 

For Delta State, that growth occurred after years of  declining enrollment. 

Last year, the university cut $3 million from its budget, which included more than a dozen faculty layoffs and reductions to 21 academic programs. This year, as Delta State celebrates its centennial, administrators said they are focusing on increasing enrollment through intentional recruitment and admissions marketing.

“That kind of momentum signals that more students and families are seeing the value of a Delta State education and the opportunities it provides,” university officials said in a statement to Mississippi Today. 

Two of the state’s flagship institutions, University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University, saw another year of record-breaking student enrollment. Ole Miss had the largest number of students this fall: 25,222. Mississippi State’s enrollment grew by more than 400 students this semester, totaling 23,563. 

The state’s third largest public institution, the University of Southern Mississippi, enrolled 13,191 students, only 0.2% more than last year. 

For the state’s historically Black universities, Mississippi Valley State University had the highest increase in student enrollment, 3.2%, or 2,276 students. Jackson State’s enrollment by 2.2% this fall, totaling 6,464. 

Alcorn State University, an HBCU near Lorman, was the only state institution that saw a slight decline in enrollment, falling to 2,900 students this fall from 3,000 in 2024. 

Edward Rice, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, said the university plans to do an audit to assess enrollment over the last five years. The goal is to develop data strategies to improve student retention and assess admissions applicants. 

Rice expressed disappointment in the enrollment decline but said the university’s enrollment team hopes to expand Alcorn’s footprint with a new outreach campaign to target prospective students in neighboring states. 

“As we look ahead to the upcoming freshman class, our focus will be strategic and centered on student support and success as well as enhancing our onboarding process to better support incoming students,” Rice said.

President Donald Trump’s nominees for federal judgeships and U.S. attorneys in Mississippi appear to have stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

The committee has yet to vote on Robert Chamberlin and James Maxwell, both nominated by Trump in August to fill open federal judge positions in Mississippi’s Northern District. Both are current justices on the Mississippi Supreme Court. 

The committee also has not taken up Trump’s nominations in early July of Scott Leary and Baxter Kruger, his choices for U.S. attorney for the Northern and Southern districts of Mississippi, respectively. Leary declined to comment. None of the other three nominees responded to a request for comment. 

The committee must vote to advance the nominees before the full U.S. Senate can consider them. The committee has met several times, including on Thursday, and has not voted on the nominees. 

The committee cancelled its Oct. 23 executive business meeting entirely when the four men were the only nominees the committee was to consider that day.

A spokesperson for Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley told Mississippi Today that the delay in advancing the Mississippi nominees out of committee is unrelated to the nominees themselves. 

“They’re caught up in a dispute between on-committee and off-committee senators,” the spokesperson said. “The chairman will plan to advance them when the issue is resolved.”

Most judicial nominees receive committee votes within a couple of weeks of their confirmation hearings, depending on the Senate schedule. The delays involving the Mississippi nominees are unusual because the committee has repeatedly delayed voting on them without explanation. 

Both of Mississippi’s U.S. senators, Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, support the nominees’ confirmation and spoke in support of them at the confirmation hearing. Neither of them responded to a request for comment, and neither serves on the Judiciary Committee.

Sarah Tramel loves libraries. She visits them regularly, takes her daughter to storytimes and listens to audiobooks on Hoopla, an app that provides free access to ebooks, audiobooks, movies and other library material.

“Having a young toddler, it’s nice to be able to listen to audiobooks while you’re driving in the car, doing stuff like that,” said Tramel, 30, who works at Greater Belhaven Foundation in Jackson.

Back in April, a halt to federal funding caused many libraries to temporarily suspend or limit access to Hoopla. Though Tramel did not lose access, she said losing the app means she wouldn’t be able to read as much.

“It would make me very sad,” she said.

The Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services caused the funding pause. The institute provides federal funding to museums and libraries across the country and is the largest source of federal funding for America’s libraries.

Funding was restored months ago, and federal courts blocked the administration’s efforts. But the federal government shutdown means that the agency’s future is still at risk.

“Sometimes you don’t know what you had until it’s gone,” said Jennifer Lena, deputy executive director of the Mississippi Library Commission. “And I don’t think a lot of people realize how many people don’t have access to the internet at home, especially in rural areas. I don’t think they understand how many people go to their libraries for support, for job searches, again to check out materials for those who can’t afford them.”

If the Institute of Museum and Library Services shuts down, libraries and their users in Mississippi would lose important services. 

The Mississippi Library Commission distributes some of the money from the institute as subgrants. It uses the rest to help pay for many of the services libraries and their users rely on.

During the 2025 budget year, the Mississippi Library Commission received $2.1 million from the institute through the Grants to States program. 

Without the federal infusion of funds, library users could lose free access to Hoopla, Talking Book Services, summer reading programs and more. Libraries could lose important resources such as consultants, training and professional development for library staff and technology support.

“Most of the cases … for them (libraries) to try to independently get those services, they would be significantly higher in cost,” Lena said. “So for many of them, the ability to get them back would just really not be there.”

If federal funding sharply decreases or goes away altogether, the commission would have to evaluate its services and decide what it can and can’t keep, based on what would have the most impact.

Mississippi’s libraries receive funding from state and local governments, as well as the federal government. Total funding for each library and library system varies, but small, rural libraries would be hit the hardest by potential cuts.

Patty M. Bailey, director of the Yalobusha County Public Library System, explained that the federal grant is “vital” to her library.

“In small, rural communities like those we serve, the library serves as a community center, a gathering spot for all ages,” she said.

It’s also a place where residents can access computers and the internet.

Emmaline Smith, 41, is a board member of JXN Friends of the Library. She said she and her family often use Hoopla and a similar app called Libby.

“Even if you don’t use the services yourself, there’s a lot of people in our community that really rely on them and need them,” Smith said.

Alivia Beckham, 18, has been going to Quisenberry Library in Clinton since she was in eighth grade. A student at Hinds Community College, she often uses the library to do schoolwork or meet with study groups. 

“I love the library. I come here a lot. It’s my favorite thing to do, is just sit down and read for hours,” Beckham said. She also uses the digital archives for schoolwork, one of the services Lena cited as being at risk if federal funding goes away.

Zarah Drake, 30, lives in Jackson. He used to frequent the Eudora Welty Library downtown. When it shut down, he tried one other branch before finding his favorite, Quisenberry.

He’s been going to libraries for years, though he doesn’t get to visit the library as often because of work. He said he likes to read books and use the WiFi on his laptop.

“I think that libraries, they give us access to a wealth, a treasure trove of knowledge and information that we can utilize and apply in our everyday lives,” Drake said.

Caitlin Sewell, 29, who works as a protective blast engineer,said she uses the online catalog to reserve books and pick them up.

“There’s just so many books that you have access to,” she said. “I mean, I don’t want to have to pay for a book every single time I want to read a book.”

According to Jeanne Williams, executive director of the Jackson/Hinds system, losing support services from the commission would be “the most critical loss.”

The Jackson/Hinds system is working on a five-year revitalization effort. Williams said that without the commission’s support, the system would potentially have to spend money that could’ve gone toward revitalization on replacing the technology support services and consultants. It also would lose access to free training and support for staff and would have to reduce its ebook catalog.

“If Mississippians care about literacy, workforce development, economic health, access to technology and the internet and safe spaces for learning and community connection, then they should care deeply about libraries,” Williams said.

What would happen if every mother in Mississippi – or in Mississippi’s neediest counties – received no-questions-asked cash assistance during pregnancy and months after a baby is born? Lawmakers pondered these questions at the state Capitol Thursday. 

The conversation focused on a program called Rx Kids, that started in Flint, Michigan, and is branded as a “prescription to poverty.” Dr. Mona Hanna, the program’s founder, presented her initiative to Mississippi lawmakers in House and Senate Public Health committees as a way to combat infant mortality. Nationwide, infants die at a higher rate in Mississippi than any other state. 

Mississippi doctors offered context during the hearing on rising infant deaths. In August, the state health department declared a public health emergency, and this week, doctors urged lawmakers to think creatively in how they choose to address the crisis. 

“Every hour that goes by, every day that goes by when a baby is born without the resources they need is a failure on all of us – we can do better,” Hanna said. “We don’t have to be OK with babies dying because of deprivation. This is not a genius idea, it’s not a new idea, it’s not a radical idea – this is just common sense.”

Rx Kids gives $1,500 to moms during pregnancy and $500 a month for six to 12 months after birth. This program only applies to mothers in the perinatal window in select communities, unlike a universal basic income, which would be available to everyone in theory. However, it is similarly unconditional – requiring no proof of income or employment and making no stipulations about how the money is spent. In Michigan, the program has given over $17 million to nearly 4,000 families in 11 communities to date – and the preliminary data bodes well.

Rx Kids is administered by GiveDirectly, a global cash assistance program funded by a number of private foundations and government institutions. At one point, this list included the U.S. Agency for International Development. 

Senate Public Health Committee Chairman Hob Bryan, a Democrat from Amory, said the program showed “great promise,” and House Public Health Committee Chairman Sam Creekmore, a Republican from New Albany, said he intends to “float the idea out to the Legislature.”

“My initial thoughts are that it’s great,” Creekmore said. “It comes down to can we afford it, or can we not afford it – but we can’t ignore it. It’s proven, successful and something I wanted to bring to the table today.”

Cash assistance programs similar to what Hanna described have demonstrated usefulness and public appeal. During the pandemic, the nation briefly had a cash assistance program for parents through the expanded child tax credit. The program helped reduce childhood poverty to a record low of 5%. After members of Congress failed to extend the program, childhood poverty has surged to a new high of 12%. Had Congress voted to continue the program in 2022, an analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found 3 million children could have been kept from poverty.

The U.S. is exceptional among wealthy nations for its high rate of childhood poverty. Evidence shows that when children endure poverty, they also are at greater risk of experiencing emotional dysregulation, obesity and malnutrition. These conditions are significant contributing factors to developing chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. In Mississippi, one of the poorest states in the nation, nearly 1 in 4 children live in poverty. 

Around childbirth, expenses increase while income decreases for parents, making it a uniquely difficult time. The United States offers no national paid parental leave policies but produces the highest costs in child care globally, according to the World Economic Forum. 

The program Rx Kids has helped alleviate some of those crushing costs for young families in Michigan. The number of infants staying in the neonatal intensive care unit, as well as those born underweight, dropped by more than a quarter, while preterm birth dropped by 18%, according to a study conducted on the program in Flint. In addition, evictions fell by 91%, and postpartum depression and nutritional access improved by 14%. 

Mississippi doctors are encouraged by these data and how a program like what Hanna has launched could boost quality of life for young patients and caregivers. Dr. Patricia Tibbs, a Laurel pediatrician and president of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said she is sold on the program, calling the premise and the results so far “amazing.” 

“It seems like it shouldn’t work, but it works,” Tibbs told Mississippi Today. “There’s something that happens when a child is not born into absolute poverty, when that first year or two years of that child’s life is stress-free. It makes a huge difference in this child’s trajectory in the future.”

Given her understanding of child development and psychology, Tibbs believes even a temporary alleviation of poverty is worth it, because of the dramatic long-term effects that it can have on health and wellbeing. 

“The security of a check for a few months is enough to make you realize the possibilities,” Tibbs said.

Dr. Anita Henderson, a pediatrician in Hattiesburg and former president of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said this program would help many of the patients she sees. 

“Transportation is an issue, child care is an issue, missing half a day at work is financially not feasible for many of my families,” Henderson said. 

During the hearing, Rep. Dan Eubanks, a Republican from Walls, raised concerns about the “lack of accountability” in the program. 

“If we’re trying to incentivize better behaviors, but we’re just giving them money, how does that incentivize them to correct some of the underlying causes of infant mortality?” Eubanks asked. 

Hanna said research shows the program led to an 11% decrease in smoking in the third trimester – something she attributes in part to a reduction in stress. 

“We didn’t create a complicated program to tell people to stop smoking – but people are on their own,” Hanna said. “Because moms by and large know what they need to do. They know what’s important, everybody loves their babies, and they want healthy babies. If you just give them a little bit of an economic cushion during this window, we see all these improvements.”

In Michigan, the absence of bureaucratic and systemic barriers allowed the program to garner bipartisan support. Michigan Sen. John Damoose, a Republican who represents a rural swathe of northern Michigan, recalled going from a skeptic to a champion of the program. 

“My immediate first thought was, ‘I’m a Republican – we don’t support giving away free money,’” Damoose told Mississippi Today. “But, as a pro-life Republican, I did wonder whether this program might give some young mothers the courage they need to choose life, so I decided to dig a little deeper. What I found was a brilliantly crafted initiative that was totally efficient and through its simplicity, addressed some of the most critical needs facing young families and children throughout our society.”

Damoose said he found the economics of the program compelling, since it “avoids the massive costs of bureaucracy.”

The program has almost no overhead. Once the money is allocated, there is very little that states have to do to administer it. Hanna estimated a pilot program in two Mississippi counties would likely require two staff members on the ground. 

“We are not hiring offices of people to figure out who’s in, who’s out, who’s deserving, who’s not deserving,” Hanna explained. “Plus, everybody needs help during this window. That’s why this program is more focused on poor places, rather than poor people.”

In Michigan, the program is made possible through a combination of state funds, federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds, and philanthropic funds. 

Mark Jones, director of communications at the Mississippi Department of Human Services – which oversees the TANF program – said they have not allocated any money toward the program and won’t know whether they have the funding to do so until early 2026. 

“We have been approached by those who have operated the program in other states and are always open to hearing solutions that would benefit Mississippians,” Jones said. 

A private foundation called The Families and Workers Fund, headquartered in New York, has already pledged $2 million to implement the program in Mississippi – contingent on the state putting up funds, Hanna said. The state’s funds don’t have to be TANF funds, and they don’t have to be a direct match – it could be less than $1 million. 

“About $2.5 million is needed to start a pilot program, and we have $2 million,” Hanna said. 

The use of philanthropic funds means the assistance counts as a gift, rather than income. That saves people from falling off “the benefits cliff,” a phenomenon where needy families who see a small increase in income get kicked off of social safety net programs, such as Medicaid or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

This kind of direct investment in families influences outcomes beyond poverty or infant mortality, Hanna said. It bolsters community and strengthens public trust in government. 

“As much as we are eliminating poverty and improving health, we are sending a message,” Hanna said. “This is all very much about shifting the narrative about how we can care for each other. We are literally telling people: ‘We love you, we are investing in you, and we cannot wait to see what you become.’”