Lawmaker asks ‘How much tax can we afford?’ before committee approves universal school meals

U.S. Department of Agriculture

PAID FOR BY VERMONTERS: Lawmakers from the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry approved the universal meals bill on Friday morning.

On Friday, the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency and Forestry voted 9-2 in favor of advancing a bill that would create a universal school meal program paid for by Vermonters.

The committee’s two Republican lawmakers voted no to H.165, “an act relating to school food programs and universal school meals.”

Committee members discussed the bill throughout the week ahead of Friday’s vote. One representative who voiced opposition to the bill said the cost to taxpayers is too high.

“I’ve heard in Vermont schools that there’s obesity problems and test scores are very low, and I think we have to identify who needs the meal,” Rep. Charles Wilson, R-Lyndon, said. “To make it universal, it’s impossible to pay for that and sustain it with everything else that’s going up. I mean how far can we go up? Where does it end?”

He added that while he thinks meals should be provided for children from low-income families, making the program universal is a mistake.

“It’s important to feed kids that need it, absolutely, and that we should do. But we can’t tax burden people,” he said. “We take an oath of office not to be injurious to anybody, and how much tax can we afford?”

During a meeting of the committee on Thursday, Rep. Rodney Graham, R-Williamstown, expressed his own reservations. In particular, he reminded his colleagues that the program exists in the first place because of one-time federal funds related to the COVID pandemic.

“There was a lot of concern in this house, in this building, what was going to happen when that ARPA [American Rescue Plan Act of 2021] fund ran out — that’s where we are today,” he said. “Universal school meals worked fine when we didn’t have to pay for it.”

On Tuesday, Rep. David Durfee, D-Shaftsbury, the committee chair, told True North that having schools provide meals universally would be similar to other education purchases — such as textbooks — which are already provided to students and paid for by taxpayers.

“Historically, meals just hasn’t been in there,” he said, adding that people might adjust to the concept over time as they have with other education costs.

Michael Bielawski is a reporter for True North. Send him news tips at bielawski82@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @TrueNorthMikeB.

Images courtesy of Vermont Agency of Education and U.S. Department of Agriculture

6 thoughts on “Lawmaker asks ‘How much tax can we afford?’ before committee approves universal school meals

  1. Why in the world do they need a universal food program to begin with? Middle and upper income kids can afford their own payments or bag it. The lower income and those on welfare already are heavily subsidized to take care of their kids. So they shouldn’t need it either. Or don’t they have the money, and if not, what did they do with it? Need accountability.

  2. They intentionally created a biological need for Socialism during COVID-19. They had no intention of ever “going back to normal”. After all, in the name of equity, we can’t allow some children to feel disadvantaged because they receive free lunchs, based on their family’s economic need. So to fix this inequality, they approve free lunch for all children, paid for by taxpayers.

  3. Our vote for these folks is influenced by what stuff they’re going to get us with the money they’re taking from those “other guys”. Isn’t this cycle of dependency destroying ore aspiration to be a self governing people? This is not a fulfillment of our founders experiment.

  4. It’s interesting to watch Vermont creates government dependent people at every opportunity- but then is quite shocked at the quality of parenting that these dependent people then have- and what that will cost the tax payers.

    It’s all very simple, as the saying goes: Vermont has chosen to give the man the fish rather than teaching the man to fish himself.
    So now you are stuck paying for the fish and getting it to him everyday.. and guess what he teaches his kids- since having free fish handed to you three times a day works just fine for him.

  5. I blame many parents of kids. I saw it. They see schools as just baby sitting place they park their kids to every day. Parents won’t bother to have a small breakfast before school, if it is “free” elsewhere….parents won’t pack a decent lunch (free elsewhere). Parents instill little discipline. Parents I saw never made kids do homework or study. Almost all kids have I-Phones now…and they are glued to them 24/7 like an appendage. It is mindless entertainment that soaks up far too many hours of their day…both in school and out of school. So this new bill basically expands the notion that schools are there to feed your kids 2 out of 3 daily meals. Schools are just a “Free Day Care” proposition. Far too many parents care less of needed homework, study, responsibility or discipline. The result is…. many VT kids below proficiency levels of basic education.. Then, add in the curriculum of all VT schools is NEA ,WOKE & PC focused…you thus get the “dumbing down” of VT kids to the “lowest common denominator”. Schools teach WOKE – and too many Parents do nothing hold up their responsibilities. Maybe they shouldn’t have kids?

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