Oh, joy! Just when you thought government initiatives couldn’t get any more thrilling, the Biden administration decided to sprinkle a little extra fairy dust on school kids’ summer plans. For the latest act of governmental generosity, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is rolling out the red carpet, offering free lunches to kids across the board. And get this – it’s not just for the little ones scraping by on pocket change; we’re talking about kids who probably have a bigger allowance than you do.
Yes, that’s right. In a bold move to ensure that no trust fund feels left out, children of parents raking in six-figure incomes are also invited to partake in this year-round feast of fiscal folly. Why let a perfectly good opportunity to use taxpayer dollars go to waste when you can ensure that even the wealthiest kids can save their lunch money for more important things? Like, perhaps, their next iPhone upgrade.
According to eagle-eyed analysts, a whopping 72% of the 49 million kids in public schools could soon be munching away courtesy of Uncle Sam.
But wait, there’s more! The USDA, not one to be outdone, decided to supersize the offer. They’ve crafted a rule that the whole school can line up for free lunch if just 25% of a school’s kids are eligible. There are no income checks and no questions asked. The rich, the poor, and everyone in between can now enjoy a side of government cheese with their education.
This all started with a “temporary” tag back in 2020 when the world went sideways and schools slammed shut. Congress, in a bout of generosity, started funneling extra cash to families for meals, initially as a pandemic patch-up job. By 2022, this became the “Summer EBT” program, with a permanent RSVP for mid-2024. The subtext? They’re probably going to chuck the whole application process out the window and revert to their pandemic favorite: making it rain taxpayer dollars into EBT accounts like there’s no tomorrow, need be darned. Because, let’s be honest, who needs a targeted approach when you can just flood the system with free cash?
And because summer shouldn’t mean hunger, the Biden team is plotting to keep the EBT cards hot, potentially skipping those pesky income checks that might prevent money from flowing to families with beach houses and ski vacations planned.
This could mean a 50% increase in the number of students on the public dime year-round. If this goes through, expect a flurry of direct deposits or shiny new EBT cards in mailboxes across the country, regardless of whether the kids were hungry.
The official line is that it is about battling child hunger, a noble cause. Yet, the U.S. already runs programs specifically aimed at keeping low-income kids fed during school breaks. Despite this, the new plan is to raise more funds, widening the net to include families who might never notice the difference except for a slightly heavier wallet.
The bill for this all-you-can-eat buffet is still increasing, but rest assured, it’s not just a chump change. We’re talking about a multi-billion-dollar tab that’s expanding faster than Thanksgiving waistlines.
While a rollback seems about as likely as a free steak dinner (spoiler: it’s not happening), some states are trying to rescind the summer splurge. Yet, resistance seems futile, with the Biden team rallying the troops and the media singing backup. Even Nebraska, which had previously held out, has caved.
So, as the debate rages on, the real question remains: Can taxpayers stomach the cost of feeding not just those in need but also the well-off in a one-size-fits-all approach to policy that may leave us all biting off more than we can chew?
