'This legislation is absolutely critical to sustaining school meal programs,' Beth Wallace, president of the School Nutrition Association, says.
During the pandemic, the waivers have allowed the Department of Agriculture to reimburse schools at higher rates for the cost of meals; prevent schools from being penalized if they can’t meet certain regulatory requirements, such as serving specific types of food that follow nutritional guidelines; and grant schools flexibility in how and where students are fed, including allowing families to pick up meals.
The waivers had been supported by Democrats and Republicans, but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., wasAt the center of the debate was whether to keep paying for programs that have benefited since the early months of the pandemic. Republican leadership had framed the waivers as temporary, and they did not immediately comment Thursday if they are receptive to Stabenow's bill, which she is calling the Support Kids Not Red Tape Act.
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