GOP senator considering blocking school meal funding deal over transgender policy fight

[RandySF]

A Republican senator is thinking about blowing up a bipartisan deal to extend school meals funding because of a Biden administration policy banning discrimination against LGBTQ students who participate in lunch programs that receive the money.

Democratic leaders are rushing to pass the legislation and get it to President Joe Biden’s desk before current funding runs out June 30, triggering a hunger cliff for millions of children. Senate Republican leaders, who blocked previous attempts at a year-long extension of the funds, haven’t made any threats to tank the bill this time around, according to three people involved in the talks. But any one senator can object and block the expedited effort, requiring a recorded floor vote and eating up precious time.

After the $3 billion deal to extend the pandemic-era program was unveiled Tuesday, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) said in an interview he is “contemplating” objecting to the measure because of new guidance from the Agriculture Department banning LGBTQ discrimination in any program that receives federal nutrition money, which includes most school lunch programs.

Marshall was among a handful of Senate Republicans who sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office last week objecting to the USDA nutrition guidance, which has also prompted a backlash from conservative media and key national Republicans. Likely 2024 presidential contender and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis argued the Biden administration was “trying to deny school lunch programs for states that don’t do transgender ideology in the schools.”



https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/22/gop-senator-considering-blocking-school-meal-funding-deal-over-transgender-policy-fight-00041366

[sakabatou]

1. So, then Senator would rather starve kids than actually respecting other humans

[Novara]

14. THIS. This tells you everything you need to know about republicans.

Starve children rather than give people respect.

[Skittles]

23. I guarantee you he considers himself a Christian

GUARANTEED

[LoisB]

2. Don't feed anyone because a gay kid might get a free meal? How do these people sleep?

[Diamond_Dog]

3. My thoughts exactly.

I can’t come up with sufficient words, this makes me so angry.

[LoisB]

7. You and me. I don't have sufficient vocabulary to know what word goes beyond "angry".

[kimbutgar]

5. Oh And I bet he is a good old Christian boy who ignores feeding the poor.

[LoisB]

8. Of course he is. My truly Christian cousin is always telling me to hate the sin but not the sinner.

I am so far past that. I despise these people, not just what they do.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

11. They have no souls

The lack of a soul makes it easy for them to sleep.

[LoisB]

16. Indeed.

[Initech]

4. Once again, Fox ruins everything!

[gulliver]

6. I don't think we should be trying to leverage school lunch programs to enforce policies...

...other than policies related to kids needing to eat nutritious lunches. Anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination should simply be considered illegal and a violation of citizens' rights.

Kids getting a good education and meals are the "dog no tail should ever wag." They're not a bargaining chip. They're primary.

Maybe I misunderstand the policy?

[Diamond_Dog]

10. But,

If they truly cared about kids getting enough to eat, it wouldn’t matter whether the kids were trans or not. Under their recommendation, nobody gets to eat if a few trans kids might get a free meal. It’s bigoted, intolerant, and wrong. . I thought these were supposed to be good Christians.

[gulliver]

21. I don't think they're trying not to feed trans kids.

I may be wrong, but the Republicanist objection seems to be that federal school lunch money means participating programs have to make general statements about how they will oppose general LGBTQ+ discrimination. It's not about not letting trans kids who qualify get lunch. Again, that's what I get from the article.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

13. Who's "leveraging"?

We're in this position because the QOP has spent months delaying an extension on the program in the first place. Yeah. That amazing party that fights so hard to protect our children dragged their feet.

We're now in this position because on the cusp of making it happen, a number of right-wing hateful Nazi bigots want to leverage all of the kids in their state because it's more important to hate "teh gay" than to cooperate and make this happen. Instead of being "fierce advocates" for our children and just saying "Okay," they want to play games with LGBTQ children. Who are, well, children as well. Except to the QOP, who thinks they're subhuman and no longer hide it.

It's real simple. Fucking assholes like Roger Marshitt and Rot DeSatan are the ones turning this into a bargaining chip - to attack LGBTQ's and codify discrimination in their schools.

But, I know. Maybe if the LGBTQ's would just give up their lunches, their rights and maybe even their lives, we wouldn't be in this mess. Goddamn those LGBTQ's for disrupting everything. Without them, this is passed and everyone is happy.

You'd be happier if we went away, wouldn't you? You don't care for us, do you? We're either inconvenient to you at best, and "the enemy" at worst. Harsh? Perhaps. How else should I feel? Time and time again, you seem to come down on their side when it comes to us. You seem to work harder to stand up for Republiqans on these issues than to stand up for us. You are more than happy to get tough with us and blame us, while not going after them for the shit they're doing to us.

[gulliver]

18. It may seem like I'm harsh or opposed to LGBTQ, but I'm neither

Life's harsh, so the only question is how to limit that harshness. I honestly don't know who is entitled to speak for the various interested parties that make up LGBTQ+. My deep worry is that the people doing the talking are either not among the LGBTQ+ Community or have no democratic claim (one person, one vote) to leadership.

That would be a problem not just for the community members themselves but for the other people (in this OP case, hungry children) that might be adversely impacted by a potentially illegitimate strategy by people with no understanding.

In this current case, my understanding from reading the article (or misreading it, perhaps) is that the jerk Republicans are trying not to take food out of the mouths of trans kids, but that they are objecting to school nutrition programs having to certify in some way how they will oppose anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in general.

To me, it's sufficient that we get the food to the kids and sue or arrest discriminators, depending on their level of malfeasance. Two separate issues.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

19. 2022 has been harsh enough for us already

We don't need more harsh.

Nor do we need posts that make it sound like this is the fault of "woke" Democrats or stopping LGBTQ discrimination.

Please re-read the OP and see who is trying to derail this (the QOP) and who isn't (those damned gays).

As I said, you really give us the impression you'd be happier if we weren't around.

[gulliver]

24. Well that's not how I feel at all.

And who are the us who have that impression? Was there a democratic vote of some quorum of some elected organization that you are acting as spokesperson for? We all have to ask ourselves "Am I doing right, or am I just doing what I want?" Then we have to listen to the answer, judge ourselves based on it, and maybe ask again until we believe the answer.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

25. I'll believe it

When you spend more time talking down on Republicans than LGBTQ's.

We. Aren't. Doing. This. The QOP is. Blame them.

[gulliver]

26. Check my journal and believe me then.

Because you won't find me saying anything against LGBTQ+ folks at all. And I'm as against Republicanism as it is possible to be.

It must be extremely difficult for LGBTQ+ folks right now, so I'm sorry if you are in that community and feel oppression lately. It's real, I know.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

9. "Won't someone think of the children?!" Horse hockey

These QOP goons as usual aren't thinking of the children. They sure as hell aren't think of the LGBTQ kids, because they'd gladly deny them school lunches if it wasn't for federal law. They'd deny them being allowed to take part in program if they could. Hell, they'd gladly deny them being allowed to attend school if they could. They'd deny them oxygen.

It's real simple: Quit being bigots. Quit punching down on LGBTQ youth. I know you assholes don't think they're people, but they are... And they're someone's kid too!

Same ol' shit, different day: The QOP playing politics with people's lives because hate is the most important thing in the world to them.

[Mad_Machine76]

12. I..........I......

just can't

[vercetti2021]

15. Roger

Go drink bleach motherfucker

[MiniMe]

17. So they starve all the kids instead???

[IngridsLittleAngel]

20. "We didn't starve the children! The gays did!!!!"

At least that's what the QOP will say.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

22. This also needs to be said:

Let's not kid ourselves. We're talking about the QOP here. The party of "Everything and all the heavens for the unborn babies!" while not giving a shit once they're born. We're talking about the same QOP who loves to lecture us on how "There are no free lunches."

I'm waiting for the day they come right out and tell kids "Pull yourselves up by your bootstraps!"

The Republiqans are probably going to allow this to lapse. Why? Because they want it to. They don't give a damn about feeding children.

I imagine if it wasn't for those damned "uppity homos", they'd find another excuse to allow the program to lapse. "Saturn and Jupiter aren't properly aligned" or "Don't take our wall money to feed socialists" or even "Drumpf had his worst round of golf ever. He's upset. We're upset. NO!"

I mean, since when has the QOP shown any interest in helping kids or funding programs like this?

Now they just have a convenient scapegoat... "Those damned gays." After all, everything is our fault and its easier to call us out.

[RANDYWILDMAN]

27. Come on Kansas, pick better pick people

we know you can do it .


Roger, you are an asshole !

Jesus hates you and wants you to feed ALL the kids including the gay and trans kids, it's the most christian thing you could do. but you are not a christian.

This program has been great at my school and has taken the burden of paying for lunch and breakfast of all of our parents.

[UTUSN]

28. Of course