Lawmakers Disagree Over Funding for Senior Meals

By Dave Jordan, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Elderly Oklahomans are finding themselves caught in the political crossfire over senior meals.

Democrats voted against a spending measure that Republicans say would prevent furloughs across several state agencies, all because funding for senior nutrition was not included.

Democrats say the Republicans are trying to balance the budgets on the backs of seniors. Republicans say Democrats are playing politics, all of this while senior nutrition seemingly falls by the wayside.

Four months after the Edmond Senior Center's nutrition program was completely cut, the kitchen is back open. But the meals are catered by a local restaurant and seniors donate a small fee for the food.

"Our men are all veterans and we've all paid taxes just like everybody else and I don't think it's fair that they closed ours down," Bennie Peters said.

The nutrition program was a casualty of budget cuts, a decision one senior says made by callous politicians.

"They're more concerned about getting re-elected than taking care of the people in the country, that's obvious," Oren Peters said.

Senator Kenneth Corn says he has been on the front line fighting to restore the senior nutrition funding.

"The reality of it is if the Democrats hadn't stepped forward and said, 'Find $2.5 million' a budget would've passed with them not even being thought of," Sen. Ken Corn (D) said.

On Monday, Corn closed ranks with his fellow Democrats and voted against the new budget structure because there was no funding for senior nutrition.

"This is something that everybody said they were for in the fall, but now it's clear the Republicans never intended to fund this program," Rep. Corn said.

But Senate Republicans say it's not that simple. The $2.5 million would only cover the program for one year.

"We still have the 2011 budget and it would take another $10 million to get this funded," Senate Pro Tem Glenn Coffee said.

Coffee went on to say the Democrats should have brought this up earlier.

"If that was a priority to them they should have communicated that during the budget negotiating process," Coffee said.

Meanwhile, seniors are left to fend for themselves.

"If they can raise as much as they're trying to raise for other things they can appropriate some money for the nutrition program," Oren Peters said.

This budget agreement comes up for a vote again Wednesday.