USDA Heeds Senator Hassan & Colleagues’ Calls to Extend School Nutrition Program
USDA Will Extend Program Through End of 2020, Senator Hassan Continues to Push USDA to Extend Program Through End of School Year
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it will extend some of the critical flexibilities that have allowed students to access much-needed meals. However, these extensions only go through the end of 2020, not the end of the school year in 2021.
Last month, Senator Hassan led a bipartisan group of her colleagues, including Senator Shaheen, in urging the extension of these school meal flexibilities.
“School nutrition programs have provided immense support to families in need amid the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that they can put food on the table. I am pleased that the USDA heeded our bipartisan calls to extend important waivers so that these programs can continue to provide meals for students who may or may not be learning in person this fall,” said Senator Hassan. “However, it’s clear that the public health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic will extend past the end of this calendar year, and school meal program directors need certainty that these waivers will extend to the end of the school year in order to fully serve as many families as possible.”
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