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A significant number of Democrats in both the House and Senate have introduced a new legislative proposal this week, aiming to provide all students, from pre-school through high school, with three free meals per day plus a snack, irrespective of their income levels.
The Universal School Meals Program Act, as the bill is named, seeks to eradicate the practice of "school lunch shaming" prevalent in the current program, where students must prove their eligibility for a free meal. The proposed legislation aims to put an end to this issue by granting universal access to meals for all students.
Democrats argue such a measure is necessary to address the alarming rise in hunger among American children.
But Fox News framed the effort negatively with the following headline:
"Democrats Demand Universal Free Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and a Snack for Kids in School."
Shortly afterward, Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden issued the following sarcastic response:
"Oh no you got us."
You can see Wyden's tweet below.
\u201cOh no you got us\u201d— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1684341985
Others had harsh responses to Fox News' headline.
\u201c@RonWyden @atrupar I've always been amazed at how horrified Republicans are by the very idea that little schoolchildren might grow up thinking they're entitled to eat lunch.\u201d— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1684341985
\u201c@RonWyden @ponymule Great shade. I\u2019m a lifelong Independent and I think we should be feeding all kids, regardless of income, breakfast, lunch and a snack at school. When I was in school (so LONG ago!), a full hot lunch cost me 50 cents a meal. Plus we always had a free snack in elementary school\u201d— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1684341985
\u201c@RonWyden @atrupar We need to feed kids, not so they\u2019ll do better in school, but because they are HUNGRY! I was a hungry kid and it was not fun.\u201d— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1684341985
\u201c@RonWyden @atrupar They say it like it is a horrible thing for a society to ensure that growing minds are provided with food during a school day.\u201d— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1684341985
\u201c@RonWyden @LouisatheLast Hell, I'd be more than happy with universal free meals for adults too\u201d— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1684341985
\u201c@RonWyden @joncoopertweets Unlike conservatives we want to keep them alive and well after they are born!\u201d— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1684341985
\u201c@RonWyden @jentaub They would freak out that kids in Scandinavian countries can eat snacks during the day at school. They\u2019re also ahead of US kids in every subject\u201d— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1684341985
\u201c@RonWyden The Expos\u00e9 of the Century:\nSung to the tune of Cab Calloway's 'Everybody Eats When They Come to my House'...\u201d— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1684341985
The bill's description highlights the public humiliation children have faced due to their inability to afford lunch.
Lunch shaming has become a pervasive problem across the nation, with some schools resorting to reprehensible tactics to collect school meal debt. Shockingly, instances have been reported where schools threatened to remove children from their parents' custody or marked their skin with an "I Need Lunch Money" stamp.
Furthermore, the Universal School Meals Program Act seeks to reimburse all schools for any outstanding school lunch debt accumulated under the existing system. Democrats argue that by providing free meals universally, the overall cost of the program would decrease significantly.
The bill aims to alleviate the burden of complicated application paperwork by eliminating the requirement for a Free and Reduced Lunch Program application to participate in the program.