Press Releases

Rep. John Kline (R-MN), the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee’s senior Republican member, issued the following statement today regarding the committee’s vote on legislation to reauthorize federal child nutrition programs:

“Republicans support wise investments to combat childhood hunger and improve the health and nutrition of disadvantaged children and families. With the school lunch program and other child nutrition initiatives slated to expire at the end of September, Congress must act to renew and improve our investment.

“The Democrats’ legislation misses the opportunity to support our children’s health and well-being without mortgaging their future. H.R. 5504 is another government expansion at a time when Americans have grown weary of new programs, higher spending, and increased federal control.

“As it stands today, this legislation will add billions to our deficit and unnecessary complexity to our meal programs. Even if Democrats shuffle the federal budget enough to offset this new spending, the result will be a larger, more prescriptive government role in local wellness initiatives and school meals.

“Our goal must be to extend and improve the federal investment in child nutrition without breaking the bank or ratcheting up federal control. I will continue to oppose any legislation riddled with boutique programs, excessive reporting burdens on our schools, spending that does not feed children, and federal mandates that decrease parental involvement and local control.”

NOTE: Republicans offered a comprehensive child nutrition reform plan to extend the programs and make commonsense changes that would improve nutritional quality, reduce program waste and mismanagement, strengthen food safety, and modernize outdated technology. The proposal was defeated by Democrats.

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