McConnell blocking lunches for schoolchildren
Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2022 6:51 am
THIS is why I'm a liberal:
But then, I was raised a liberal. I was raised in a family where you never turned away a hungry child.
What kind of person does that?
Federal waivers that have given U.S. schools the flexibility to offer universal free lunches throughout the pandemic are at risk of ending as Senate Republicans—led by Mitch McConnell—stonewall a proposed extension of the relief measures, potentially depriving millions of children of no-cost meals in the coming months.
Politico reported Monday that McConnell, the Senate minority leader, is "forcefully opposing" a provision to extend the federal school lunch waivers as part of an omnibus government funding package that Congress must pass by midnight Friday to avert a shutdown.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has estimated that the average school district will face a 40% cut in federal reimbursements for meals if Congress allows the waivers—first approved in March 2020 and extended thereafter—to lapse. The USDA's authority to extend the school meal waivers further is currently set to expire at the end of June.
"Mitch McConnell never needed free lunch to get a hot meal at school. He never needed food stamps to survive," Charles Booker, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Kentucky, wrote in response to the GOP leader's obstruction. "Nearly half of Kentucky's children live in households below 200% of the federal poverty line. I was one of them. He doesn't see us."
But then, I was raised a liberal. I was raised in a family where you never turned away a hungry child.
What kind of person does that?