Obama to seek $12B from Congress for child nutrition

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 Feb. 9.

Nearly 22 million low-income children receive free and reduced-price meals during the school year, but just a fraction of those children 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 be used only for food at grocery stores.

A child-nutrition bill the Senate approved last week also would put more money into summer feeding programs.

The Agriculture Department on Wednesday was announcing a pilot program to increase access to the National School Lunch program by reducing the paperwork parents must file to participate.

Under the demonstration program, states will be allowed to use Medicaid data to certify students for free and reduced-price lunches.

States must apply to participate.