“The regulations have proven to be burdensome and unworkable for schools”

While President Trump has spent the week undoing many of Barack Obama’s executive orders and policies, I have been wondering about Michelle Obama’s signature program: Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA)

Legal Insurrection readers may recall some of the questionable highlights related to HHFKA as it has been implemented over the past eight years.

Food Justice Warrior Debra Eschmeyer named School Lunch Czar.

Fines being considered for teachers who passed out candy as special rewards.

The trending Twitter hashtag #ThanksMichelleObama featuring images of the awful cuisine being served.

Freedom Caucus Republicans are now clamoring to substantially revise the Obama school lunch program.

A document released by the office of Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., called for repealing certain aspects of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 – the legislation that helped put Michelle Obama’s hallmark program into law. The initiative is part of a broader plan released by Meadows titled, “First 100 Days: Rules, Regulations, and Executive Orders to Examine, Revoke and Issue.” The document calls for the Trump administration to reverse nearly 200 rules and regulations, including the requirements of the 2010 law. “The regulations have proven to be burdensome and unworkable for schools to implement,” reads a related report from the House Freedom Caucus, of which Meadows is a member. “Schools are throwing food away that students are not eating.”

I hope the Trump administration moves on the proposed revisions to the program. My son enjoyed his school lunches before the 2010 rules were put in place.

I was curious to see if the Food Czar was still in place. She may well be; the Let’s Move page is still up, and she wrote a blog post entitled “Onward” on January 4, 2017.

She recently was the keynote speaker for a Propel Ohio event, and her LinkedIn page shows that she is still a White House Director of Policy.

President Trump says that he wants to significantly reduce the number of federal workers. I might suggest that after amending the school lunch rules, the employees enforcing the Obama requirements would be low-hanging, locally-grown fruit!



