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The Trump administration has proposed budget cuts for programs that impact health and nutrition, as well as a budget cut of $4.7 billion to the USDA. Even if Trump’s budget never passes, the new Department of Agriculture chief, Sonny Perdue, is rolling back school lunch nutrition standards.

But a growing body of evidence shows that more meals for school children, and specifically more nutritious meals, benefit kids. Recent studies indicate the impact of healthier meals is even greater on low-income children. As part of The Hechinger Report’s new partnership with APM Reports, the national documentary and investigative unit of American Public Media, Hechinger’s multimedia editor Jackie Mader joins journalist and filmmaker Emrys Eller to discuss how these cuts could impact kids, especially those in the most rural parts of the country, on this week’s episode of the Educate podcast.

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