The House and Senate passed different versions of a slimmed-down $3 billion extension of school nutrition waivers within hours of each other on Thursday, leaving to the House a final vote on the legislation on Friday. “I look forward to the president signing this into law,” said Senate Agriculture Committee chair Debbie Stabenow.
The extension, which runs through the 2022-23 school year, would give schools some flexibility and funding to deal with meal planning during supply disruptions and high inflation. When classes start in the fall, it would end the era of free meals for all students that began as the pandemic hit the United States two years ago.
“It would have been just awful — awful — for the Senate to leave without taking action to make sure we provided the waivers necessary to make sure kids can get the free meals they need over the summer,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The Senate adjourned on Thursday night until July 11. The current set of nutrition waivers will expire on June 30.
Senators approved the nutrition bill on a voice vote in less than five minutes. They used the text of the House-passed bill but removed a section that offered free meals in the coming school year to the 6 percent of students from lower-income households eligible for a reduced-price meal but not a free meal. The amendment was a concession to Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul. NPR reported that Paul had blocked action on the bill while calling for restoration of the reduced-price category alongside free and full-price meals
“Disappointed we had to make the change,” said Stabenow. “But without this bill, we would have no support for kids at all.”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the House would vote on nutrition waivers on Friday. The bill was the first item of business on the House agenda.
“This bill provides targeted and temporary relief in the 2022-23 school year to help schools with higher food costs,” said Sen. John Boozman, the senior Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee.
House Republicans made clear that a return to “regular order” was the price of their cooperation. Rep. Bobby Scott, the Democratic chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, said the extension “is likely our best and last opportunity to preserve relief for child nutrition programs.”
“Congress never intended to provide universal free breakfasts and lunches to all K-12 students regardless of need,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, the senior Republican on the Education and Labor Committee. “By returning these programs back to normal, we can uphold our responsibility to taxpayers and the principle that aid should be targeted and temporary.”
The House passed its version of the bill 376-42. Most Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting the bill.
Under the extension, “no cost” waivers that give schools flexibility to deal with meal planning would remain in force. The USDA’s per-meal reimbursement rates would be increased by 15 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch.
A full-fledged extension of the waivers issued during the pandemic would cost $11 billion. The USDA has allowed schools to serve meals for free to all pupils, set a higher than usual per-meal reimbursement rate, and permitted flexibility in following nutrition standards for meals.