Lawmaker says HS kids should be working McDonald’s instead of getting free school lunches

Corporate media’s fearmongering over the president’s sweeping spending freeze had one lawmaker suggesting a fast food, fast track for America’s youth to gain “value and work skills.”

(Video Credit: CNN)

Another day meant another topic leftists could throw a tizzy over as President Donald Trump continued his tidal wave of action meant to cleanse the Washington, D.C. swamp. Effective Tuesday evening, a pause on “all federal financial assistance” prompted readily refuted claims that Head Start would be impacted, leading Georgia Rep. Rich McCormick (R) to promote the positives of teens getting jobs at places like McDonald’s.

Joining CNN’s Pamela Brown Tuesday, the emergency room physician tackled claims about the freeze impacting cancer research and the Department of Health and Human Services program that helps with health and nutrition for low-income families.

Despite the latter explicitly not being subjected to the freeze as stated by the Office of Management and Budget, McCormick expounded on the value of part-time work for youths as he said, “I don’t know about you, but I worked since I was — before I was even 13-years-old, I was picking berries in the field, before child labor laws that precluded that.”

“I was a paper boy, and when I was in high school, I worked my entire way through. You’re telling me that kids who stay at home instead of going to work at Burger King, McDonald’s, during the summer, should stay at home and get their free lunch instead of going to work?” he posited to Brown. “I think we need to have a top-down review.”

The congressman went on to question, “Who can actually go and actually produce their own income? Who can actually go out there and do something that makes them have value and work skills for the future?”

“I mean, how many people got their start in fast food restaurants when they were kids, versus just giving a blanket rule that gives all kids lunches in high school who are capable of going out and actually getting a job and doing something that makes them have value, thinking about their future instead of thinking about how they’re going to sponge off the government when they don’t need to?” continued McCormick. “We don’t give people value. We don’t give them the ability to dig themselves out when we penalize them for actually working, and actually keep them on welfare.”

A memo issued by the OMB made clear, “Any program not implicated by the President’s Executive Order is not subject to the pause,” and added regarding SNAP and student loans:

“No, any program that provides direct benefits to Americans is explicitly excluded from the pause and exempted from this review process. In addition to Social Security and Medicare, already explicitly excluded in the guidance, mandatory programs like Medicaid and SNAP will continue without pause.”

“Funds for small businesses, farmers, Pell grants, Head Start, rental assistance, and other similar programs will not be paused. If agencies are concerned that these programs may implicate the President’s Executive Orders, they should consult OMB to begin to unwind these objectionable policies without a pause in the payments.”

The same narrative that had Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) decrying the freeze as a “dagger at the heart of the average American family,” that was “lawless, dangerous, destructive and cruel,” had Brown lamenting, “a lot of these kids aren’t even of working age. They’re young kids…like five and under.”

To that, McCormick reminded, “It doesn’t apply to everybody.”

Kevin Haggerty

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles