Congressional funding deal includes protections for school meals

The bipartisan funding deal approved by the House of Representatives on Tuesday includes language extending the USDA Child Nutrition waiver authority.

The move will give public schools the flexibility and support they need to continue school lunch and breakfast programs, and also allows child and adult care centers to operate as non-congregate and waives certain meal pattern requirements.

The language was proposed by Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07).

“For many Central Virginia kids, school meals provide one of their only reliable sources of nutrition. To make sure these students stay healthy and strong, we need to give our schools additional certainty that meal pattern requirements will be waived for the duration of the current school year,” Spanberger said.

The amendment was co-led by Reps. Rodney Davis (R-IL-31) and Don Bacon (R-NE-02).

“I’m proud to stand alongside my colleague Congressman Davis in moving forward our commonsense, bipartisan amendment, which would ensure USDA has the authority to reduce red tape and allow schools to have the flexibility they need to keep our students fed,” Spanberger said. “No child in Central Virginia should go hungry, and during this moment of uncertainty, we must do everything on our power to protect and expand access to school lunch and breakfast programs.”