Free school meals for a million poor children are in jeopardy under proposed Trump rule change (WP)

[dalton99a]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/free-school-meals-for-nearly-a-million-poor-children-are-in-jeopardy-under-proposed-trump-rule-change/2019/10/22/8d13c2b0-f510-11e9-829d-87b12c2f85dd_story.html

Free school meals for nearly a million poor children are in jeopardy under proposed Trump rule change
By Joe Davidson
Oct. 23, 2019 at 5:00 a.m. CDT

President Trump proclaimed last week National School Lunch Week. Wednesday of that week was World Food Day, established in honor the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.

What timing for the Trump administration to release, on the eve of World Food Day, an analysis of proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture regulatory action that would result in almost 1 million low-income children losing automatic eligibility for free school meals.

The proposal would affect children certified for free meals because their families get food stamps, bureaucratically known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

About 3.1 million people would lose food stamps under an administration plan that would affect eligibility. The administration’s analysis says “potentially as many as 982,000 children would no longer be directly certified for free school meals based on SNAP participation.”

About 13.4 million children were automatically certified for free school meals through SNAP in the 2016-2017 school year, according to the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), using USDA data. It is a nonprofit that works to eliminate poverty-related hunger.

Speaking of timing, the department’s Food and Nutrition Service allowed only until Nov. 1 for public comment on the analysis that could affect the health and nutrition of so many. Agencies can change the way programs operate through an administrative or regulatory process that does not require congressional approval.

“Shockingly, the department failed to disclose this analysis when it originally published its proposal despite being required to do so” in July, said Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), chairwoman of the House Education and Labor civil rights and human services subcommittee. The two-week comment period, which began Friday, “is woefully insufficient in light of how many people will be affected by this rule.”

“Children lose twice under the SNAP rules change,” FRAC experts Crystal FitzSimons and Ellen Vollinger said in an email to the Federal Insider. “They lose SNAP food benefits at home and lose free breakfasts and lunches at school.”

[abqtommy]

1. snark on: Oh if there was only a way we could get rid of tRUMP. Wait, there is and we're

doing it. snark off Not too soon either.