SNA Policy News: Updates from Washington D.C.

White House Publishes Fact Sheet Addressing Public Charge Rule
School Nutrition Association
On February 2, the White House published a fact sheet outlining President Biden's next steps toward reforming current immigration policies. Specifically, it states that President Biden has rescinded the previous administration's memorandum requiring sponsors to repay the government if relatives receive public benefits. It also instructs federal agencies to review the Final Public Charge Rule and other related policies. In previous comments, SNA has expressed concern that the change "will result in children going hungry during the school day, even though they are legally authorized and eligible to receive free or reduced priced school meals."
President Biden Signs Buy American Executive Order
School Nutrition Association
On January 25th, President Biden signed an Executive Order to update and strengthen Buy American requirements across the federal government agencies. The White House released a fact sheet specifying that the order directs Federal agencies to close loopholes in existing Buy American rules, appoints a Director of Made-in-America to oversee implementation of the Executive Order, and increases oversight of waivers to domestic preference laws, among other provisions. Read the full story.
FNS Publishes Oversight Plan Waiver to Assist State Agencies
School Nutrition Association
On January 13th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) published the " Oversight Plan Waiver." This plan illustrates FNS's commitment to approving state waivers that help support State Agencies and program operators as they strive to meet child nutrition program requirements.
Team Nutrition Announces Training Grants for School Meal Recipe Development
School Nutrition Association
On January 12th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Team Nutrition published training grants to develop new recipes for school meals. This grant program will help schools offer more meals with recipes that utilize local agricultural products and reflect local food preparation practices and taste preferences. USDA will award approximately $4.8 million in grants to State Agencies and up to $300,000 to those agencies that administer Federal school meal programs. Applications are due April 19, 2021.
USDA Extends Nationwide Waiver on Food Service Contract Duration for SFAs
School Nutrition Association
On January 6th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) extended the nationwide waiver "Food Service Management Contract Duration in the National School Lunch Program and Summer Food Service Program-EXTENSION." This extension permits School Food Authorities (SFAs) and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsors to extend existing food service management company (FSMC) contracts through SY 2021-2022 or June 30, 2022.