Free Lunch for Students Who Don’t Need It

On July 1, the Obama Administration began distributing free lunches to kids who don’t need them.

Under the new Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), only 40 percent of a school’s students need to qualify for free lunch in order for the entire school to be eligible. The pilot program began July 1 and is going nationwide this school year. Through the pilot program, CEP has already reached students in 11 states and 4,000 schools. Studies show that the program does indeed increase the school lunch and breakfast rolls.

The goal of welfare should not be to get as many people onto the rolls as possible, especially if they don’t even qualify. Particularly in a time of a skyrocketing national debt, it’s important to use taxpayer dollars wisely by targeting assistance to those most in need.

Welfare is the fastest growing part of government spending and is projected to keep expanding. Currently, the welfare system consists of roughly 80 means-tested programs that provide cash, food, housing, medical care, and social services to poor and lower-income Americans, costing taxpayers nearly $1 trillion annually. About a dozen of these programs provide food assistance.

The goal of welfare should be to encourage self-sufficiency for America’s families rather than to push more people onto welfare. It is crucial that policymakers look for ways to reform welfare not only to ensure better stewardship of taxpayer dollars but, more importantly, to better serve those it aims to help.

Taylor Colwell is a former member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. For more information on interning at Heritage, pleaseclick here.