LAWSUITS. MILLIONS OF
SCHOOLCHILDREN COULD SOON BE
WITHOUT ACCESS TO BREAKFAST OR
LUNCH. ONE 0.5 TRILLION
DOLLARS SPENDING BILL THAT WAS
JUST PASSED BY THE U.S. HOUSE
LEFT OUT FUNDING FOR THIS
PROGRAM. THE BILL WOULD
ALLOCATE MONEY TO FUND THE
GOVERNMENT THROUGH SEPTEMBER.
IT EXCLUDED 11 BILLION DOLLARS
WORTH OF CHILD NUTRITION
WAIVERS. THESE WERE A HALLMARK
OF THE FAMILIES. FIRST
CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE ACT.
THAT'S A COVID-19 RELIEF
PACKAGE PASSED IN MARCH 2020,
THE ACT PUTS SCHOOL MEALS
LARGELY UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF
THE USDA. THEN IT PROVIDED
SCHOOLS WITH WAIVERS THAT LET
THEM SERVE FREE AND REDUCED
PRICE MEALS TO NEARLY EVERY
STUDENT REGARDLESS OF THEIR
FAMILY'S INCOME. ACCORDING TO
A USDA OFFICIAL 90% 9, 0%, OF
SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN USING A
WAIVER TO SERVE FREE MEALS TO
THEIR STUDENTS. THE USDA HAS
AUTHORITY ENDS ON JUNE 30TH
AND THE ADDITIONAL 10 MILLION
STUDENTS RECEIVING FREE MEALS
AT SCHOOL EACH DAY WILL NO
LONGER BE ELIGIBLE. JOINING US
NOW IS LAURA RILEY. SHE COVERS
THE BUSINESS OF FOOD FOR THE
WASHINGTON POST IS REALLY
FIRST OF ALL, CAN YOU JUST
EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE
ABOUT HOW THESE WAIVERS WORK.
>> WELL, SO THERE ARE REALLY 3
THINGS THAT ARE GOING AWAY. SO
THERE'S MONEY SO SCHOOL LUNCH,
REIMBURSEMENT WILL GO FROM
ABOUT $4.50 PER LUNCH TO UNDER
$3.2. DOLLARS AND $0.91 PER
LUNCH SO THAT IMPACTS EVERY
SCHOOL, EVERY DISTRICT AROUND
THE COUNTRY. BUT IN ADDITION
TO THAT, IT'S ABOUT
FLEXIBILITY. SO BECAUSE
LEGISLATORS HAVE SAID, HEY,
THE PANDEMIC IS NEARLY OVER.
WE SHOULDN'T BE FUNDING THIS
PANDEMIC RELIEF. THIS IS GOING
AWAY. HOWEVER, ALL OF THESE
SCHOOLS AND HAD A SUPPLY CHAIN
PROBLEMS. I SPENT I SPENT A
COUPLE DAYS IN BURKE COUNTY,
GEORGIA WATCHING AS THEY PIVOT
AS AS TRUCKS SHOW UP HALF FULL
AND THEY HAVE TO FIGURE OUT
SOMETHING TO DO. SO. SOME OF
THESE WAIVERS ARE ABOUT GIVING
SCHOOLS FLEXIBILITY AND WHAT
THEY SERVE AND NOT JUST WHAT
THEY SERVE BUT WHERE THEY
SERVE IT. THIS WILL TAKE AWAY
THE OPPORTUNITY OR MEALS TO BE
SERVED IN THE CLASSROOM WERE
THERE TO BE ANOTHER VARIANT
THAT CAME DOWN THE PIKE. SO SO
IT REALLY DOES TAKE A LOT OF
TOOLS OUT OF THE TOOL BOX FROM
SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
>> YOU MENTION THAT REPUBLICAN
LAWMAKERS PUSH BACK AGAINST
THIS FUNDING. EXPLAIN A LITTLE
BIT MORE OF THE POLITICS
BEHIND WHY THIS MONEY WAS
TAKEN OUT.
>> I THINK THAT THERE IS A
THERE ARE A LOT OF VALID
QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW MONEY, HOW
ALL OF THE COVID RELIEF MONEY GOT SPENT. WE'VE SEEN SOME
GOT SPENT. WE'VE SEEN SOME
FRAUD. WE'VE SEEN SOME
UNFORTUNATE PROFITEERING GO
YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME SOME
INTERESTING CASES COMING OUT
THAT THAT PEOPLE TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION. SO
I THINK A LOT OF REPUBLICANS
ARE SAYING BEFORE WE SPEND
MORE MONEY ON THE PANDEMIC HAS
THESE ON THE CRIME NUMBERS ARE
REALLY PLUMMETING. LET'S TAKE
A PAUSE AND AND LET'S NOT
JUST, YOU KNOW, THROW THROW
NEW MONEY INTO THIS. BUT I
WILL TELL YOU THAT A LOT OF
SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THEY'VE
SPENT THE PAST 2 YEARS GIVING
GIVING EVERYBODY MEALS THAT
SHOWED UP, RIGHT. YOU SHOW UP.
YOU'RE HUNGRY. YOU GET A MEAL.
THEY HAVE NOT ASKED KIDS TO
PROVE THEIR PARENTS LOW INCOME
ELIGIBILITY FOR 2 YEARS. SO
STARTING JUNE 30TH. ALL OF A
SUDDEN THE KID WILL SHOW UP
WAITING TO GET A MEAL AND
THEY'LL BE I'M SORRY, YOU NEED
TO FILL OUT A FORM OR HAVE
YOUR PARENT COME IN. FILL OUT
A FORM TO SAY THAT THEY ARE
ELIGIBLE FOR FREE OR REDUCED
PRICE LUNCH AND AND NO ONE HAS
THE INFRASTRUCTURE OR THE
LABOR FRANKLY, TO MAKE THAT
HAPPEN.
>> TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT OF
THESE WAIVERS NOW. I MEAN, THE
THEY STARTED EARLY IN THE
PANDEMIC WHEN A LOT OF SCHOOLS
WERE CLOSING AND THERE WAS
DEEP CONCERN THAT KIDS WHO
RELY ON SCHOOLS FOR FREE AND
REDUCED BREAKFAST LUNCH WOULD
BASICALLY GO HUNGRY. NOW WE'VE
GOT SCHOOLS, REOPENING SCHOOLS
ARE BEGINNING TO LIFT SOME OF
THEIR MASK MANDATES. EVEN WHAT
IS THE NEED LOOK LIKE NOW.
COMPARED TO WHAT IT WAS THAT.
>> JOSHUA. IT'S IT'S THE MOST
REMARKABLE THING IN SOME WAYS
THE NEED IS GREATER NOW ON.
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE THE
PRESSURES ON THE SCHOOL
DISTRICTS ARE GREATER NOW.
THEY HAVE INCREDIBLE SUPPLY
CHAIN PROBLEMS AND, YOU KNOW,
FUEL PRICE PROBLEMS AND
TRANSPORTATION. I MEAN,
TRUCKERS ARE THEY'RE JUST NOT
TRUCKERS AVAILABLE. THIS YEAR.
A LOT OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT
FOUND THAT THEY THAT THEIR
CONTRACTS
>> THEIR FOOD, THEIR
DISTRIBUTORS. YOU KNOW, US
FOOD SORES OR, YOU KNOW,
CISCO. WHEN A WET. AND SO THEY
HAD TO FIND NEW DISTRIBUTORS
ACROSS THE BOARD. SO, YOU
KNOW, SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE
REALLY FINDING THAT THEY HAVE
TO. MEAN, SOME OF THEM ARE
SERVING. BREAKFAST FOR LUNCH
BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE, YOU
KNOW, THE NUGGETS THAT THEY
ORDERED SO THAT THEY REALLY
DO. NEED THE FLEXIBILITY. AND
I TALKED TO A DISTRICT IN IN
UTAH IN SALT LAKE CITY AND
THEY SAID WE CAN'T GET LABOR
RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THE WAGES
JUST WENT UP ACROSS THE BOARD
IN RETAIL TO $15 AN HOUR AND
OUR MAX IS $13.50. WE CANNOT
GET PEOPLE IN THE DOOR. SO
THEIR ONGOING PROBLEMS THAT
EVEN AS COVID LIFTS EVEN AS
MASK MANDATES GO AWAY, EVEN AS
ALL STUDENTS ARE BACK IN THE
CLASSROOM. SCHOOLS ARE STILL
FACING THESE SIGNIFICANT
PROBLEMS.
>> WE ASKED FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
ON THIS FREE SCHOOL MEAL
PROGRAM POTENTIALLY GOING
AWAY. JUST TO BE CLEAR, THIS
IS PART OF A FUNDING BILL THAT
HAS WORKED ITS WAY THROUGH
CONGRESS. IT HASN'T BEEN
SIGNED INTO LAW YET. SO IT'S
NOT DONE YET, BUT IT IS PART
OF A BILL THAT WAS REACHED IS
PART OF A BIPARTISAN
NEGOTIATIONS. SO IT SEEMS
LIKELY, BUT WE DID GET A FEW
OF YOUR RESPONSES ABOUT THIS.
ELLEN TWEETED, YES, BREAKFAST
AND LUNCH AND A SNACK IF THEY
NEEDED AND PARTNER WITH FOOD
BANKS FOR WEEKEND FOOD
BACKPACKS. IF THEY NEED THAT.
NO MORE HUNGRY KIDS AND SUZE
TWEETED WE PROVIDE BREAKFAST
AND LUNCH. MANY STUDENTS ARE
SENT HOME WITH BAGS STUFFED
WITH FOOD THROUGH THE BAGS OF
HOPE PROGRAM AT MY TITLE. ONE
SCHOOL. IT'S STILL HAPPENING.
LAURA RILEY OF THE WASHINGTON
POST. APPRECIATE YOU
EXPLAINING THIS TO US. THANK