Nearly two dozen states sue Biden admin over policy tying school lunch funds to LGBTQ+ protections

Over 20 states have sued the Biden administration over a policy that would cut federal funding to schools whose LGBTQ+ rules are deemed insufficient.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III are leading the lawsuit, which has been raised on the grounds that they are unlawful “based on a misapplication of U.S. Supreme Court precedents,” per a Tuesday press release.

“We all know the Biden administration is dead-set on imposing an extreme left-wing agenda on Americans nationwide. But they’ve reached a new level of shamelessness with this ploy of holding up food assistance for low-income kids unless schools do the Left’s bidding,” Rokita was quoted as saying.

The states listed as pursuers on the lawsuit are Tennessee, Indiana, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have been listed as a defendant on the lawsuit. The made a statement in May which said that in order for K-12 schools and other public services to be eligible for funding from the Food and Nutrition services, any outdated LGBTQ+ policies would have to be updated.

Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Deputy Under Secretary Stacy Dean previously announced in a statement on May 5th: “Whether you are grocery shopping, standing in line at the school cafeteria, or picking up food from a food bank, you should be able to do so without fear of discrimination. No one should be denied access to nutritious food simply because of who they are or how they identify.”

“Today’s notice further affirms USDA’s efforts to dismantle barriers that historically underserved communities have faced in accessing its programs and services. This action protects the civil rights of LGBTQI+ people while complementing USDA’s ongoing efforts to advance equity and access in its nutrition programming. For more information on USDA’s equity efforts, visit usda.gov/equity,” the statement reads.

Rokita hit back at the statement and said it “will inevitably result in regulatory chaos that threatens essential nutritional services.”