Subscribe to Receive the Daily Report

Tuesday, June 14th, 2022

As universal school meals program nears end, Biden eyes other ways to get food to school kids

Author:     Meredith Lee
Source:     Politico
Publication Date:     06/08/2022 | 09:35 PM EDT
 Link: As universal school meals program nears end, Biden eyes other ways to get food to school kids
Stephan:   What kind of country doesn't make feeding its children a priority? The United States. America does not like its children, particularly Republicans in Congress. I have been saying this for years based on the factual data, and I think it is one of the saddest things about this country.
School meal funding, like other government assistance offered during the pandemic, has been at the center of a political battle between Democrats and Republicans. Credit: Jon Cherry / Getty Images

Biden officials are working on a smaller effort to help schools buy select food products as the universal free school meals program Congress authorized during the Covid-19 pandemic approaches its expiration date, according to two people familiar with the plans.

Administration officials are exploring using about $1 billion from an Agriculture Department fund to help schools purchase U.S. commodities for their meal programs. USDA did something similar last December, as districts struggled to find consistent sources of food amid ongoing supply chain disruptions from the pandemic.

A USDA official not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed the department intends to deploy the funds later this month, but final arrangements are still underway.

“USDA is looking at every tool at its disposal to ease the burden the pandemic has caused on school districts, but the magnitude of this problem requires Congressional action,” a department […]

Read the Full Article