To: Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-2)
Rep. Guthrie: Don't gut school lunch for needy kids
Making it harder for kids struggling with hunger to eat school lunch isn't "fiscally responsible," it's just short-sighted. When kids are hungry they can’t learn. If we want to build a prosperous America, we need to make sure every child has a fair shot.
As a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, please strip out changes to the National School Lunch Program that raise community eligibility requirements, and make it harder for students who qualify to receive school lunch.
Why is this important?
There are already enough bullies in the lunchroom.
Now some members of the U.S. House are effectively trying to take our kids' lunch money -- by putting forward a bill that guts school lunch programs.
An ill-advised update to the Child Nutrition Act came out late last month that jeopardizes free and reduced school lunch for millions of children. This legislation is moving quickly, and we need to stop the provisions that could lead to empty stomachs from coast to coast.
Taking away kids' school lunches is being hailed as the fiscally responsible thing to do, even when we know the opposite is true. When students are hungry they can’t learn. Providing lunch to children whose families are struggling with food insecurity is a simple investment to make sure that those children are learning. It's just common sense.
The House Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill includes sneaky provisions that would gut the school lunch program -- and would roll back years of progress. [1]
If passed, more than 7,000 schools would have their school lunch eligibility revoked. And those more than 7,000 schools? They serve more than 3 million kids [2]
Rep. Brett Guthrie is a member of the critical House Education and Workforce Committee which will be taking a look at this language over the next week or so. It is critical that he hears that we must protect hungry kids, not take away their lunches.