WASHINGTON D.C. – House Education and Labor Committee Member Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03) recently joined Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC), along with 23 other Republican Members from the Education and Labor Committee and the Agriculture Committee, to send a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue. The letter urges the implementation of child nutrition program flexibilities allowed under law so schools have the flexibility they need to feed students during the coronavirus pandemic.
In the letter, the Members write: “We know the flexibilities utilized at the beginning of the pandemic helped schools provide meals to families in need. With a new school year starting amid the pandemic, it is critical that schools have the flexibility they need to continue providing meals to their students.” The Members continue: “… we should ensure the federal programs that help feed students are flexible, easy to operate, and free of unnecessary burdens. Therefore, we ask USDA to review the program flexibilities currently available within the child nutrition programs and expeditiously implement much needed flexibilities.”
BACKGROUND: As instruction for 2020-2021 gets underway, schools across the nation face difficult obstacles in implementing new methods of teaching while simultaneously figuring out how to provide meals to vulnerable students. In order to ensure that schools are able to feed their students, Republican Members are calling on USDA to see to it that these critical programs are flexible and easy to operate as schools and families grapple with the pandemic.
To read the full letter to Secretary Perdue, click here.