WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama plans to ask Congress for $12 billion over a decade to help feed schoolchildren from low-income families during the summer, the White House said Wednesday.
The request will be in the 2017 budget proposal Obama plans to send lawmakers on Feb. 9.
Nearly 22 million low-income children receive free and reduced-price meals during the school year, but just a fraction of those kids receive meals when school is out. The disparity puts those children at higher risk of hunger and poor nutrition during the summer months when school is out of session, the White House said.
Benefits under the proposed program would be loaded onto a debit card that can only be used for food at grocery stores.
