A Republican congressman, Rich McCormick, has suggested that children should work at McDonald’s instead of relying on federally funded school lunch programs. McCormick made the comment during an interview with CNN’s Pamela Brown, in which he claimed that free lunch programs allow children to “sponge off the government” and that they should instead be encouraged to work to earn their meals.
McCormick, who worked his way through high school by picking berries and working as a paperboy, argued that many children could find jobs like his and support themselves instead of relying on government assistance. He also suggested that the government’s focus on providing free lunches is a way to keep people on welfare and perpetuate poverty.
However, many have criticized McCormick’s suggestion, pointing out that not all children who receive school lunches are of working age and that many are already struggling to make ends meet. Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin called the proposal “lawless” and “an attack on civil society,” while others took to social media to express their outrage and disbelief.
The suggestion comes as the Trump administration has ordered a temporary pause on nearly all federal grants and loans, which could paralyze thousands of programs that use government money, including school lunch programs and childhood cancer research. Lawsuits have already been filed against the administration’s funding freeze, and it is unclear what will happen next.
