In a particularly insensitive moment, Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education, made a joke about “free lunch” during her address at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “I’m Betsy DeVos. You may have heard some of the ‘wonderful’ things the mainstream media has called me lately,” she remarked. “I, however, take pride in being a mother, a grandmother, a life partner, and perhaps the first person to tell a certain senator that there’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
DeVos’ comment was not just a light-hearted jab; it highlighted her stance against government spending. This remark came at a time when the National School Lunch Act, which provides free and low-cost meals to over 31 million schoolchildren across the United States, is facing significant changes. These changes, pushed by Republican lawmakers, threaten to make it harder for families to access these essential resources. Established in 1946 by President Harry S. Truman, this program is crucial for many students, with nonprofit organizations like No Kid Hungry estimating that around 13 million children in the U.S. experience hunger, relying on school lunches as their primary meal of the day.
The backlash was swift on Twitter, where many criticized DeVos for her apparent lack of understanding of the struggles faced by low-income students who depend on these meals. A report from the USDA revealed that the National School Lunch Program cost $11.6 billion in 2012, accounting for a mere 0.03 percent of the entire U.S. budget. For context, this is significantly less than the nearly 2 percent allocated to the military budget, which stands at $597 billion. In the search for meaningful cuts in government spending, targeting free lunches for children in need is hardly the solution.
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In summary, Betsy DeVos’s joke about free lunches reveals a troubling disconnect from the realities faced by many families. While she may see humor in it, the implications of such comments can be damaging to those who rely on school meals for sustenance. It’s crucial to foster a better understanding of the challenges students in poverty encounter rather than dismissing them with jokes.