Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) is facing backlash after defending the White House’s federal aid freeze, which includes funding for school lunch programs, and suggesting that children should work instead of receiving free meals.
During a CNN interview on Tuesday, McCormick argued that the funding pause offers an opportunity to reassess federal spending and criticized the current approach to nutritional assistance. “You’re telling me that kids who stay at home instead of going to work at Burger King or McDonald’s during the summer should stay at home and get their free lunch instead of going to work?” McCormick said. “I think we need to have a top-down review.”
McCormick reflected on his own childhood, explaining how he started working before age 13. “Before child labor laws precluded it, I was picking berries in the field. I was a paperboy. When I was in high school, I worked my entire way through,” he said, suggesting that work instills value and skills for the future.
The White House’s executive order, issued by President Donald Trump, temporarily pauses federal financial assistance programs, excluding Medicare and Social Security. Programs like the National School Lunch Program, which provides free or reduced-cost meals to low-income children, could be affected.
Critics argue that McCormick’s remarks and the freeze could harm vulnerable families. “Suggesting that children as young as 13 should work instead of accessing basic nutritional support is deeply troubling,” said Sarah Hill, a spokesperson for a national child advocacy group. “School meal programs are often the only reliable source of nutrition for millions of kids.”
McCormick also linked poverty and obesity during his interview, calling it a uniquely American problem. “When in history have we had our poorest people also be our fattest people?” he asked. He praised Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, for his focus on nutrition reform.
The congressman defended the freeze as a way to reevaluate government spending. “We need to get people out of poverty by incentivizing work, not keeping them on welfare,” McCormick said.
While supporters see the move as a necessary fiscal review, critics warn that pausing school meal funding could leave millions of children without access to daily nutrition. The Agriculture Department has yet to address how this freeze will impact school lunch programs, leaving families and schools uncertain about the future.
