Polk Times

WASHINGTON, DC— Rep. Scott Franklin (FL-18) has introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval to prevent the USDA from withholding school lunch funding and retaliating against schools that do not comply with the White House’s sexual orientation and gender identity policies. The legislation aims to protect students and ensure that parents have the final say in their children's education.

Rep. Franklin expressed his concerns about the Biden Administration's use of school lunch as leverage to push their agenda onto school systems. He stated, "While the Biden White House stoops so low as to use school lunch as leverage in a political game to intimidate school systems into adopting their woke agenda, we’ve worked hard in Florida to kick progressive culture wars out of the classroom and keep parents in charge. We don’t coparent with the federal government. The USDA does not have the authority to impose LGBTQ ideology and dangerous social experiments like shared bathrooms and locker rooms on local schools. I thank my colleagues for joining me to hold the Biden Administration accountable for this abuse of power."

U.S. Senator Dr. Roger Marshall (R-KS), who is leading companion legislation in the Senate, also criticized the Biden Administration for forcing its values on public schools. He said, "In Joe Biden’s America public schools must support Democrats’ radical transgender movement or they’re at risk of losing substantial funding. We must stop this policy dead in its tracks to protect access to school lunches for students across the country and send a clear message to this Administration: stop weaponizing the federal government in your pursuit of indoctrinating children."

The legislation has gained support from other representatives, including Rep. Bill Posey, Rep. Brad Finstad, Rep. Randy Weber, Rep. Gus Bilirakis, and Rep. Michael Guest. They all emphasized the importance of protecting school lunch programs and preventing the federal government from imposing their ideologies on local schools.

In January 2021, President Biden issued an executive order directing federal agencies to review and revise policies that did not align with his Administration's sexual orientation and gender identity agenda. As a result, the USDA announced that it would interpret the word "sex" in Title IX to mean "sexual orientation and gender identity." This decision has raised concerns among lawmakers and prompted Rep. Franklin's legislation.

The National School Lunch Program, administered by the FNS, provides low-cost and free lunches to millions of children across the country. Franklin's legislation seeks to rescind the USDA's recent policy through the Congressional Review Act, which would also prevent the agency from similar rulemaking in the future.

The Attorneys General of 22 states have sued the Biden Administration, challenging its policies. Numerous outside organizations, including Heritage Action, Alliance Defending Freedom, and CatholicVote, are supporting Rep. Franklin's legislation.

For more information, visit https://franklin.house.gov/2023/9/franklin-protects-students-school-lunch-programs-from-woke-retaliation