NEA blasts USDA decision to axe programs for feeding hungry students

WASHINGTON — Media outlets have reported that the U.S. Department of Agriculture terminated two programs responsible for providing public schools and food banks money to buy food from local farmers and ranchers, halting more than $1 billion in support for students and their families. 

The following statement can be attributed to NEA President Becky Pringle:

“All students — no matter where they live or how much money their families make — deserve the resources they need to grow and thrive. To ensure every student can flourish, we must ensure no student goes hungry. No young person in America should ever face the shame or stigma of lunch debt. And yet, we have heard too many stories of students experiencing school lunch debt who have faced public embarrassment and shame, including having their food taken away while in a lunch line because they couldn’t afford it or had an account balance they couldn’t pay for. This directly results in a child going hungry, and it also exposes them to unnecessary shame in front of their peers. Making sure hungry students have healthy school meals is not just the right thing to do morally. It also has a direct connection to students. Ask any educator, and they will tell you that when students can eat healthy and nutritious meals, they are energized, focused, and ready to learn.

“Trump and Musk’s efforts to deprive students of healthy meals couldn’t come at a worse time. As food prices skyrocket and household budgets are squeezed, more families depend on healthy school meals to be nourished. These popular programs have allowed schools to serve fresh, locally sourced, nutritious foods — at no extra cost. It has been a win-win: students benefit from healthier meals, and schools stretch their limited budgets further. Without this support, schools will struggle to offer meals prepared from fresh ingredients, and many school districts will face widening budget gaps. 

“The ripple effects go beyond the cafeteria. From agricultural croplands in the Columbia Basin of Washington state and farmlands of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia to the ranchlands in Montana and the rangelands in Texas— and everywhere in between — America’s farmers and ranchers will be deeply impacted. Local farmers and ranchers serving their rural and nearby communities supplying these foods will lose stable, reliable markets on which they depend, and struggling rural schools will lose a lifeline for their students. These funds supported local and rural economies as much as they supported child nutrition. And let’s be clear — those funds won’t be easily replaced, especially as states and counties brace for a potential recession and the impact of the current tariffs. Undermining locally resourced school meals directly harms student health and learning, including learning about and connecting to their food sources. If we care about academic success, cutting food funding is exactly the wrong move for everyone.”

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org.