There are so many crises occurring in America at the moment, it's hard to decide which one to focus on. But reading just now that the Trump Administration plans to implement a change in welfare policies that could end free lunches for a half million schoolchildren absolutely breaks my heart. It reminds me of when I was covering #welfarereform in Congress back in 1996, and felt compelled to testify about my own childhood of government subsidized food stuffs and free lunches. I just couldn't be an objective journalist about an issue that had fundamentally shaped my early life. This column, published in The Washington Post on the day President Bill Clinton signed the Welfare Reform bill, almost cost me my job. Looking back, it was also the moment I decided I would never give up my right to use my voice. #journalism #childpoverty #socialissues #childwelfare …see more