Thirty million – that's the number of children who have been receiving free meals as part of a federal plan to ensure universal school lunches for every kid in America's public school system. But with virtually no congressional plan to extend the policy into next year, 30 million are now at risk of losing a guaranteed meal for five days a week.
This stunning development – which has sparked the ire of parents, administrators, and teachers alike – spans back to April 2020, when thousands of public schools issued sweeping closures over COVID-19 concerns. In response, then-president Donald Trump allowed the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to waive a slew of restrictions on free and reduced-price meals for school kids.
