First Lady Michelle Obama told a gathering of middle school students at the White House, “I’m going to fight until the bitter end to make sure that every kid in this country continues to have the best nutrition that they can have in our schools.” Obama is an administration leader in opposing a Republican proposal to allow a waiver for schools from requirements to serve healthier meals if they have lost money for six months on food service. The House could vote next week on the idea.
“We know that kids who have nutritious foods, vegetables and fruits, they do better in school,” said Obama. “So we simply can’t afford to say, ‘Oh, well, it’s too hard so let’s not do it.'”
Asked about the waiver, Senate Agriculture chairwoman Debbie Stabenow told reporters “I will strongly oppose it” if it is offered in the Senate. “I am not going to support anything that would move us backwards.” Stabenow also said she supported a compromise in the Senate’s USDA funding bill that calls on USDA to see if there are enough whole grain products to meet school needs and if not, to identify alternative products for use.