Huelskamp and His Student Constituents Pressure USDA to Back Off School Lunch Mandates
December 10, 2012
Huelskamp and His Student Constituents Pressure USDA to Back Off School Lunch Mandates
(DODGE CITY, KAN.) - On Friday USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack informed Congress that USDA would temporarily suspend daily and weekly serving limits on meat and grains in school lunches that went into effect at the start of the 2012-2013 school year. Congressman Tim Huelskamp of Kansas, with the help of his student constituents, has been a leading proponent in Washington of eliminating the new USDA mandates. He joined Iowa Congressman Steve King to introduce the "No Hungry Kids Act" to eliminate the calorie caps that were enacted as a result of the "Healthy, Hungry Kids Act." Extensive coverage of the proposed legislation - as well as the efforts of students and teachers across the nation, particularly in Kansas - was no doubt influential in undoing the guidelines.
"It was democracy in action to see how students, cafeteria workers, teachers, and parents reacted to the new expensive mandates, and it is democracy in action to see bureaucrats respond to the pressure of the American people," Congressman Huelskamp said. "I am elated that Kansas students as well as our legislative efforts played a tremendous role in scaling back the USDA's attempt at expanding influence in our school cafeterias. The decisions about what kids eat should be left to their parents and local school officials -- not bureaucrats in Washington. We know one-size-fits-all does not work in the classroom, and this decision by USDA recognizes that such an approach does not work in our cafeterias either. I look forward to USDA's immediate and expanded explanation of the changes in policy, as well as to the ultimate elimination of the entire regulation. Excessive rules and red tape are only creating more headaches, paperwork, and waste."
Linda O'Connor, who helped her students at Wallace County High School to produce "We Are Hungry," offered the following comment about the USDA's announcement: "We are so excited that a small town can make a difference in fueling the discussion about school nutrition. This issue has ignited and inspired the kids to become activists in the political system as it relates to the issues that affect their daily lives. We are ecstatic about and applaud Tim's efforts to shine the spotlight on the school lunch mandates, and we look forward to his continued leadership on issues affecting schools and rural America."
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