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Friend, ? For the last two years, all school lunches have been free for K-12 students. The school lunch program, administered by the USDA, is good for students, families, and farmers. Students learn far better when they aren't hungry, free lunches help control costs for struggling families, and the programs support prices for farmers by purchasing U.S. food.? ? During COVID, the eligibility requirements to receive free lunches was waived. All students received free meals. ? Last spring, the Republicans in the Senate killed the Universal Free Lunch Program. Going forward, families will again need to preemptively fill out paperwork to qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. Many families, accustomed to two years of free lunches, will not fill out the paperwork correctly, and will owe hundreds of dollars in school lunch bills by the end of the semester. ? The school lunch program serves almost 5 billion lunches a year and at a cost of 14 billion dollars. That's an excellent deal. Fraud is low: kids who don't need a free lunch generally have a higher-quality lunch packed by their (wealthier) parents. I mean, we've all seen school lunches - they aren't exactly luxury lunches. If a kid is hungry enough to eat a free school lunch, it's probably because he or she needs it. California -- run by Democrats -- has the right idea: it passed state legislation to provide and fund a universal free lunch program of its own. ? The Republican Party votes against kids, against veterans, and against election results it dislikes. The only policy it supports is cutting taxes on their own donors - and paying themselves massive agricultural subsidies like Doug LaMalfa. We cannot let them retake the House. ? ? Thank you,? ? Max Steiner Democrat and Combat Veteran For Congress |
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