[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 850 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 850
Supporting the designation of the week of September 14 through
September 18, 2026, as ``Malnutrition Awareness Week''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 14, 2026
Mr. Murphy submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting the designation of the week of September 14 through
September 18, 2026, as ``Malnutrition Awareness Week''.
Whereas malnutrition is the condition that occurs when a person does not get
enough protein, calories, or nutrients and is a significant public
health problem in the United States and around the world that can affect
people across the lifespan and across geographic and socioeconomic
backgrounds;
Whereas malnutrition can be determined by social or environmental influences,
including poverty or economic instability, access to affordable health
care, and low health literacy and there are inextricable and cyclical
links between poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition;
Whereas the Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as when a person
or household does not have regular, reliable access to the foods needed
for good health;
Whereas communities of color, across all age groups, are disproportionately
likely to experience both food insecurity and malnutrition;
Whereas American Indian and Alaska Native households are at significantly
greater risk for food insecurity than all households in the United
States;
Whereas 1 in 18 Asian Americans and 1 in 5 Pacific Islanders experience food
insecurity;
Whereas Black children are almost 3 times more likely to live in a food-insecure
household than White children;
Whereas infants, children, older adults, people with chronic diseases, and other
vulnerable populations are particularly at risk for malnutrition;
Whereas the American Academy of Pediatrics has found that failure to provide key
nutrients during early childhood may result in lifelong effects on brain
function and development;
Whereas disease-associated malnutrition affects between 30 and 50 percent of
patients admitted to hospitals, and is associated with substantially
higher healthcare costs, complications, and hospital readmissions,
including over $51,300,000,000 each year for disease-associated
malnutrition in older adults;
Whereas deaths from malnutrition have more than doubled since 2018, especially
among adults 85 and older;
Whereas, according to the ``National Blueprint for Achieving Quality
Malnutrition Care for Older Adults, 2026 Update'', while access to
malnutrition care has greatly expanded since 2020, as many as half of
older adults living in the United States are malnourished or at risk for
malnutrition;
Whereas, according to recent Aging Network surveys, home- and community-based
nutrition services can play an important role in improving health
outcomes and reducing malnutrition risk among older adults; and
Whereas the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition established
Malnutrition Awareness Week to raise awareness and promote prevention of
malnutrition across the lifespan: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) supports the designation of ``Malnutrition Awareness
Week'';
(2) recognizes the contributions of registered dietitian
nutritionists and other nutrition professionals, health care
providers, school food service workers, those who provide home-
delivered meals, social workers, advocates, caregivers, and
other professionals and agencies working to prevent, identify,
and address malnutrition;
(3) recognizes the importance of existing Federal nutrition
programs, like the nutrition programs established under the
Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) and
Federal child nutrition programs, for their role in providing
healthy food and nutrition interventions, preventing food
insecurity and malnutrition, and supporting the health and
well-being of people across the lifespan;
(4) recognizes the role of community-based organizations,
including food banks, faith-based organizations, and local
agencies and the need for partnerships among them and with
healthcare providers in preventing and addressing malnutrition
in underserved areas;
(5) recognizes the importance of access to evidenced-based
nutrition care, especially for vulnerable populations,
including medical nutrition therapy under the Medicare Program
under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et
seq.);
(6) recognizes the importance of continued Federal research
into nutrition, dietary patterns, and the human
gastrointestinal microbiome and how those factors influence the
prevention or development of chronic disease and malnutrition
throughout the lifespan;
(7) recognizes the importance of Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services facilitating the implementation of the
mandatory Malnutrition Care Score, an electronic clinical
quality measure for adults aged 18 and older; and
(8) acknowledges that malnutrition affects people of all
ages and backgrounds, and that preventing, identifying, and
treating malnutrition can reduce avoidable health care costs
and complications and is critical to achieving national goals
related to chronic disease prevention, healthy aging, and
access to good health for all.
<all>