RESEARCH LINKS
THE NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools. Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the program provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost, or no-cost lunches to children each school day.
Issue 1: Whole Milk
Congress.gov: H.R.1147, “Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023”
USDA: “The National School Lunch Program Fact Sheet”
97milk.com: “Whole Milk Facts”
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: “Dairy Milk Isn’t Healthy”
lancasterfarming.com: “Debate Surrounds Nutrition of Full-Fat Milk”
WSJ.com: “School Cafeterias Might Serve Whole Milk Again”
Issue 2: FISA Surveillance
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: “Constitutional Amendment 4: Privacy”
Brennan Center for Justice: “Congress Should Not Reauthorize Surveillance”
Center for Strategic & International Studies: “Reforming Section 702 of FISA”
Americans for Prosperity: “Key Vote Alert: Vote YES on HR 6570″
WaPo Op-Ed: “FISA Provision Vital to Beating the Opioid Crisis”
Electronic Frontier Foundation: “Surveillance ‘Reform’ Bill a Farce”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Issue 1: Whole Milk
- Regulations limiting milk options for schools surfaced under the Obama administration, when former First Lady Michelle Obama championed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Are programs like these examples of government overreach? Why or why not?
- If you had the option to buy whole or 2% milk (flavored or unflavored) for your school lunches, would you drink milk more? If so, what advantages and/or disadvantages would that bring?
- What weight should be given to the opinions of nutrition experts, parents, and even children when determining what food is served in schools?
- By limiting children’s lunch options to only fat-free or low-fat milk, is the government actually discouraging kids from drinking milk?
- If the “Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act” is passed by Congress, can you think of any negative consequences that might occur? Would the potential negative consequences outweigh the benefits?
Issue 2: FISA Surveillance
- Does FISA Section 702 need to be amended to strengthen protections of Americans’ constitutional and privacy rights? Or should Congress permanently reauthorize it as is?
- Why do you think some legislators are concerned about the potential for abuse of power among employees and/or contractors of federal government intelligence agencies?
- Read the wording of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (link above). Opponents of FISA Section 702 claim that it creates a “massive end run around the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement.” Do you agree? Why or why not?
- Are Americans’ constitutional rights possibly being violated by some federal agencies’ current interpretations of FISA Section 702? Why or why not?
- What reforms, if any, would balance the national security value of the foreign intelligence collection program with the protection of privacy rights and civil liberties?