Tasty and nutritious, but don't expect to find it in the school cafeteria. The push to bring more nutritious school lunches to the nation's students has stalled in the House of Representatives. A large group of Democrats objected to plans to use cuts in food stamp money to pay for the bill:"It's just plain wrong," said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), a longtime advocate for childhood nutrition programs. "The way you are going to pay for a child nutrition bill is by dipping into people's food stamps? Give me a break."First Lady Michelle Obama has made the passage of the child nutrition bill a centerpiece of her Let's Move campaign to get kids eating better and participating in sports and fitness activities.Obama has lobbied Capitol Hill Democrats extensively to pass the bill this year.
House members balked at further cuts to food stamp funding to pay for the first lady's passion project.
In August, House leadership proposed voting on a Senate-passed version of the child nutrition bill that used the food stamp money to cover its cost. Members had already voted to slash food stamp allocations by 13.6 percent to pay for the President's Medicaid and education funding bill for the states.
106 House Democrats sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying they would not support the Senate version, and urged her to take up their own House bill, which does not contain the food stamp cuts.
Lawmakers adjourned for the midterm elections Wednesday without taking up the bill. The earliest it could now be considered is during this winter's lame duck session.
If passed, the child nutrition bill would require a nutritious makeover for lunchroom food, and would expand food programs for low-income students.
Hamburgers, for example, would need to be made with leaner meat and whole wheat buns. High-calorie soft drinks would vanish from school vending machines.
URL: http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/09/30/healthy-school-lunch-bill-stalled-in-congress
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