11.25.20

Chairman Scott Responds to USDA Proposal to Resurrect Overturned Child Nutrition Rule

WASHINGTON – Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture re-proposed a rule to weaken standards in child nutrition programs:

 “As more than a quarter of our nation’s households with children head into the Thanksgiving holiday struggling to put food on the table, the Department of Agriculture’s rule to undermine nutrition standards for child nutrition programs will only make it harder for children to access healthy food.

“We know that food insecure households face steep barriers to getting the healthy food they need and want to provide for their children. The Department’s insistence on resurrecting this rule—after a federal court judge overturned it—demonstrates an irresponsible disregard for the health and wellbeing of our nation’s children.  Moreover, this rule is being proposed in the middle of the COVID-19 public health emergency, and we know diet-related disease leads to worse outcomes from COVID-19 infections. If finalized, the rule will have lasting consequences for our economy and communities by depriving children of the nutritious food they need to learn, succeed, and stay healthy.”

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