National School Lunch Program Has Morphed Into Massive, Wasteful Entitlement Program
9th April 2019
The National School Lunch Program has changed dramatically since it began in 1946. What started as a grant program to help poor students and those with special needs has morphed into a massive entitlement offering meals to 30 million students every year—equivalent to nearly 55% of all children enrolled in public and private schools.
And the bigger the program got, the more wasteful it became. The Office of Management and Budget now classifies the school lunch program as a “high-error” program due to large losses from incorrect payments each year—nearly $800 million in fiscal year 2018 alone.
In 2010, the Obama administration approved letting school districts offer free meals to all students in schools where 40% of the student body comes from low-income families that qualify for public assistance such as food stamps. This “Community Eligibility Provision” is providing meals—breakfast as well as lunch—to kids from middle- and upper-income families.
Universal welfare via a back door.