The representative Rich McCormick, Republican of G-GA., Defended the impacts of the freezing of the federal help of the White House on the school lunch programs on Tuesday in suggesting that some children should work instead of receiving a free lunch.
During an interview in CNN, McCormick praised the movement as a way of widely reassessing how the government assigns funds. The CNN presenter, Pamela Brown, said that Head Start, which helps provide nutritional assistance to low -income children and families, is one of the programs that could be affected. She pressed McCormick on whether he would support trim for breakfast and free lunch funds.
“Before I was even 13 years old, I was collecting berries in the countryside, before child labor laws prevented it. He was a paper child, and when I was in high school, I worked all the way,” McCormick said. “You are telling me that the children who stay at home instead of going to Burger King, McDonald’s, during the summer, should stay at home and get their free lunch instead of going to work. I think we need to have a top -Down Review. “
McCormick, who talked about Doral, Florida, where the Republicans of the House of Representatives celebrate their conference of annual problems, said the pause of federal funds gives the government the opportunity to “see where the really spent money is.”
“Who can go and produce their own income? Who can leave and do something that makes them have value and job skills for the future?” McCormick said.
He added: “I mean, how many people start in fast food restaurants when they were children, instead of just giving a general rule that gives all children’s lunches in high school that are able to leave and really get a I work and do a job and do a job?
The Actual White House Management and Budget Office, Matthew J. Vaeth, said in a memorandum on Monday the federal departments and agencies that for Tuesday at 5 pm, must “temporarily stop all activities related to the obligation or the disbursement of all federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be involved by the executive orders “signed by President Donald Trump in the last week.
The memorandum indicated that freezing would not affect the benefits of Medicare or Social Security or government assistance directly provided to people.
A longer document sent to federal agencies and obtained by NBC News requested details about thousands of programs that provide financial assistance. School meals for low -income students were among the list programs.
McCormick said the government does not give people the ability to “excavate” and, instead, “penalize them for working and maintaining them in well -being.”
“We need to have a review from top to bottom so that we can get people out of poverty,” he said, adding that Americans are losing their way because the government gives “people incentives to stay at home and not work.”
The congressman also referred during the interview with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s candidate to direct the Department of Health and Human Services.
“When you talk about producing not only calories, but about nutrition, that’s what JFK Jr. is about,” he said, that he accidentally refers to the Secretary of Health as his deceased cousin.
“When in history, and this is a very good question for any reporter, when in history, have we made our poorest people also our fatty people?” asked. “That is for the first time here in the United States. Traditionally, our poorest people live very thin and very low nutrition.”
McCormick’s office and the White House did not immediately respond to comments requests. NBC News also contacted the Food and Nutrition Service of the Department of Agriculture, which supervises the National School Lunch Program.
According to an information sheet of the program, children can qualify for free school lunches under certain criteria, even if they participate in other federal programs, such as the supplementary nutritional assistance program, or depending on their state as a homeless, migrant, fugitive or Child raising. “
The children also registered in Head Start or a pre-K program funded by the similar state is eligible for free meals. In addition, he says, “children from families with income in or less than 130 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for free foods. Those with income between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for a reduction of price meals. “