Ilhan Omar: “We are on the brink of a hunger crisis, both here in the United States and around the globe. Right now, more than 38…”

“We are on the brink of a hunger crisis, both here in the United States and around the globe. Right now, more than 38 million people, including 12 million children, are food insecure in the United States. Food prices are expected to rise up to 7.5 percent this year, stretching already tight family budgets. In my home State of Minnesota, dozens of hunger relief organizations are warning of the hungriest summer on record if the State doesn't convene a special session to combat hunger. At the beginning of the pandemic, I passed the MEALS Act to let districts provide universal meals in the hope of preventing a massive hunger crisis. It worked. Over 30 million kids are now estimated to receive school meals. In August 2020, when the waivers were on the verge of expiring, Representative Pingree and I joined 119 of our colleagues in sending a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture urging him to extend the school meal waivers. Throughout the pandemic, I sent three letters and worked tirelessly to ensure every child can eat. Though we were able to secure these critical waiver extensions, the uncertainty cost millions of families and school administrators to panic and stress. Now, we find ourselves in a familiar place where at the end of this month--in just 15 days--millions of children are again at risk of going hungry as the school meal waivers are set to expire. Let me be clear: We cannot let these lifesaving waivers lapse as the pandemic rages on.…”