Keystone Today

With supply chain and workforce problems continuing, Gov. Tom Wolf (D-PA) has asked Congress to extend the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) waiver authority for child nutrition programs through the next school year as part of the Omnibus bill.

This will help ensure funding and flexibility in purchasing and transporting foods for school meals. Earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, the waivers were used to make sure that children across the state had access to a meals while they were attending classes virtually or in another nontraditional setting. The current system has the waivers providing schools with a higher reimbursement rate per meal to alleviate issues created through inflation and the supply chain backups.

“As Congress finalizes negotiations on the 2022 Omnibus Bill, I have a simple but urgent request on behalf of Pennsylvania schools, children and families,” Wolf said, according to his website. “I’m asking them to extend the waiver authority of the USDA through the next school year to ensure that we have the ability to feed Pennsylvania’s kids striving to thrive.”

Wolf said that if the waiver authority is not extended, there will be a “ripple effect” across the state’s food and agricultural industry and also the entire nation. According to Wolf, the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program requires schools to buy American to encourage local food production. Without the waiver, there will be a difference of $4.56 per meal vs. $2.91 per meal being spent by schools. This 36% reduction in spending will impact American businesses and family-owned farms.

The waiver also calls on the USDA to continue free meals for students to help struggling families with gas, groceries and other items that have been affected by the increased cost of living. 

“I’ve done everything in my power to ensure children access to a high-quality education, but you cannot feed a hungry mind on an empty stomach,” Wolf said on his website. “This waiver authority is critical to ensuring access to food for millions of kids and simultaneously supporting our nation’s food and agriculture industry."

Wolf, along with First Lady Frances Wolf, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Noe Ortega sent a letter to the state's congressional representation on Feb. 3. On March 9, the letter was penned to members of the U.S. Senate and House, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), as well as Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), saying it was an "urgent request."

"It is essential that Congress act expeditiously to provide USDA the authority to extend the child nutrition waivers," Wolf wrote. "Not only do they help our schools and community-based partners to provide meals to millions of children, but they also help to support our nation’s food and agriculture industry. I therefore urge you to include this provision in the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations legislation to ensure the continued operation of federal child nutrition programs in (school year) 2022-2023."