[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 211 (Monday, December 15, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H5857-H5861]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                WHOLE MILK FOR HEALTHY KIDS ACT OF 2025

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and pass the bill (S. 222) to amend the Richard B. Russell 
National School Lunch Act to allow schools that participate in the 
school lunch program to serve whole milk, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                 S. 222

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Whole Milk for Healthy Kids 
     Act of 2025''.

     SEC. 2. ORGANIC OR NON-ORGANIC WHOLE MILK PERMISSIBLE.

       (a) In General.--Section 9(a)(2) of the Richard B. Russell 
     National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(a)(2)) is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (A)--
       (A) by striking clauses (i) and (ii) and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(i) shall offer students a variety of fluid milk;
       ``(ii) may offer students options which may include 
     flavored and unflavored organic or nonorganic whole, reduced-
     fat, low-fat, and fat-free fluid milk and lactose-free fluid 
     milk, and nondairy beverages that are nutritionally 
     equivalent to fluid milk and meet the nutritional standards 
     established by the Secretary (which shall, among other 
     requirements to be determined by the Secretary, include 
     fortification of calcium, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin D 
     to levels found in cow's milk); and''; and
       (B) in clause (iii), by striking ``physician'' and 
     inserting ``physician, parent, or legal guardian'';
       (2) in subparagraph (C), in the matter preceding clause 
     (i), by striking ``fluid milk products'' and inserting 
     ``products described in subparagraph (A)(ii)''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(D) Saturated fat.--Milk fat included in any fluid milk 
     provided under subparagraph (A) shall not be considered 
     saturated fat for purposes of measuring compliance with the 
     allowable average saturated fat content of a meal under 
     section 210.10 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or 
     successor regulations).
       ``(E) Application.--Subparagraph (B)(ii) is not applicable 
     to a school that offers nondairy beverages under subparagraph 
     (A)(ii).''.
       (b) Conforming Amendments.--
       (1) Section 14(f) of the Richard B. Russell National School 
     Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1762a(f)) is amended in the third 
     sentence by inserting ``or a nondairy beverage that meets the 
     nutritional standards described in section 9(a)(2)(B)'' after 
     ``milk''.
       (2) Section 20(c) of the Richard B. Russell National School 
     Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769b(c)) is amended by striking 
     ``patterns and fluid milk requirements'' and inserting 
     ``patterns, fluid milk requirements, and nutritional 
     standards for nondairy beverages''.

     SEC. 3. INCLUDING FOOD ALLERGY INFORMATION IN EXISTING 
                   TRAINING MODULES FOR LOCAL FOOD SERVICE 
                   PERSONNEL.

       (a) Food Allergy Training Module.--Section 7(g)(2)(B)(iii) 
     of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 
     1776(g)(2)(B)(iii)) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating subclauses (II) and (III) as 
     subclauses (III) and (IV), respectively; and
       (2) by inserting after subclause (I) the following:

       ``(II) food allergies, including information on the best 
     practices to prevent, recognize, and respond to food-related 
     allergic reactions;''.

       (b) Certification.--Section 7(g)(2)(B)(ii)(II) of the Child 
     Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1776(g)(2)(B)(ii)(II)) is 
     amended by striking ``clause (i)'' and inserting ``clauses 
     (i) and (iii)''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.


                             general leave

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and 
extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 222.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a bill near and dear to my 
heart, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025.
  My legislation will allow for unflavored and flavored whole, reduced-
fat, or 2 percent milk to be offered in school cafeterias, giving our

[[Page H5858]]

students the option to choose the milk that they want to drink.
  Milk is an essential building block for a well-rounded and balanced 
diet, offering 13 essential nutrients and numerous health benefits.
  Unfortunately, out-of-touch and outdated Federal regulations have 
imposed restrictions on the types of milk students have access to in 
school meals. While the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act's intention to 
reduce child obesity was good, its impacts to attack whole milk have 
been misguided and devastating over the 15 years since its passage, 
resulting in the loss of an entire generation of milk drinkers.
  It has always been a myth that whole milk causes weight gain. The 
beverage is 97 percent fat-free, and it is the least processed type of 
milk. Common sense tells us that whole milk is not the culprit of 
childhood obesity. Instead, milk is the number one source of protein 
for kids ages 2 to 11. Milk is also the top source of calcium, 
potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin D for children ages 2 to 18.
  Medical research has proven that whole milk has several benefits, 
such as strong bone density, a healthier immune system, reduced 
cardiovascular risk, lowered blood pressure, reduced hunger cravings, 
reduced type 2 diabetes risk, and increased sleep quality.
  Additionally, children are not consuming the amount of dairy 
recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and are not getting 
these important benefits and nutrients. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory 
Committee reported that over two-thirds of school-age children fail to 
meet the recommended levels of dairy. Rather than drinking milk they 
didn't like, students are throwing it away and losing out on the 21 
essential minerals and 13 vitamins necessary for healthy development.
  School nutrition programs provide critical access to the nutrients 
growing children need, including those provided by milk. In fact, 
school meals provide 77 percent of the total daily milk consumption for 
low-income children ages 5 to 18.
  In addition, it is also important to remember that this legislation 
does not require any student to drink or any school to serve whole 
milk. Rather, this legislation simply gives schools the flexibility to 
serve a broader variety of milk in the school lunchroom.
  Dairy farmers in Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District and 
across our country work hard every day to produce nutritious milk for 
our families and communities.
  I am proud to lead this legislation that would allow schools to serve 
flavored and unflavored whole and reduced-fat milk in school 
cafeterias. Today, we will restore students' access to a wide variety 
of milk options, ensuring students have the necessary nutrients to 
learn and grow.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this 
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, today, we are considering S. 222, the Whole Milk for 
Healthy Kids Act of 2025.
  School meals play a critical role in reducing child hunger and 
providing children with the healthy food they need in this country. 
Milk offered as part of these meals can deliver essential nutrients 
that are central to a child's development. That is why it is important 
that students be provided with the most nutritional options.
  Child nutrition standards for school meals, including milk options, 
are guided by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, DGAs, which are 
periodically updated based on recommendations from child nutrition 
experts and public input.
  The latest DGAs, supported by the American Heart Association, the 
American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, 
the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and over a dozen other public 
health advocate organizations, agree that fat-free and low-fat milk are 
the healthiest options for children.
  The DGAs must follow the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's 
evidence-based recommendations to maintain current limits on saturated 
fat, sugars, and sodium. Simply put, nutrition standards must be guided 
by scientists, not politicians and industry lobbyists. If there is a 
controversy, that should be debated at meetings of the Dietary 
Guidelines Advisory Committee, not with a group of politicians.
  S. 222, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025, disregards 
evidence-based recommendations by removing the statutory requirement 
that milk options served must align with the DGAs and exempts the 
saturated fat found in milk from the total regulatory limits on 
saturated fat in school meals. This would allow schools participating 
in the National School Lunch Program to serve dietary options, such as 
whole milk, that do not align with the current science-based 
recommendations, which protect children's health.
  For these reasons, Mr. Speaker, the bill should be defeated.
  I do recognize, however, that there are some improvements to existing 
law in the bill, including better options for students seeking a non-
dairy alternative. Schools will now have an easier process to serve 
nutritionally equivalent, nondairy beverages, such as soy milk, and 
provide that they may be served in the regular lunch line. Increasing 
access to plant-based meals and beverages in the lunchroom is a goal 
everyone should be able to support. However, this is not enough of an 
improvement, considering the bill's other shortcomings.

  Whole milk contains far more saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories 
than fat-free and low-fat milk. Experts agree that saturated fat from 
whole milk increases the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of 
death in this country.
  In fact, the majority of Americans consume too much saturated fat. 
More than 80 percent of the U.S. population exceeds the recommended 
limit. This bill needlessly inserts politics into what should be a 
science-based process, to the detriment of our children's health.
  The Trump administration has demonstrated time and time again its 
disregard for public health and evidence-based interventions, and these 
revisions to the DGAs in this bill will have the same disregard for 
following the evidence. However, hopefully, future administrations will 
recommit to science and the decades of nutritional guidance that ensure 
children will receive the healthiest meals possible.
  Mr. Speaker, I am also disappointed by the majority's decision to 
depart from precedent by moving a limited child nutrition bill outside 
of a comprehensive child nutrition reauthorization.

                              {time}  1430

  More to the point, this is the only piece of legislation that our 
committee has considered this year that amends laws governing child 
nutrition programs.
  We have considered no bills that improve access to free school meals; 
no bills to improve the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, 
Infants, and Children, the WIC program; no bills to improve options for 
summer food programs; no bills to improve the Child and Adult Care Food 
Program, and no bills to address the need for healthy meals after the 
school day is over.
  The majority did, however, choose to advance that big, ugly bill 
which contains Medicaid and SNAP cuts, which will result in a drastic 
reduction in the number of students eligible for free school meals.
  Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I oppose the bill, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg), the chairman of the Education 
and Workforce Committee.
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 222, the 
Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025.
  For nearly 80 years, the National School Lunch Program has provided 
low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. We know that 
healthy diets can improve student success both in and out of the 
classroom. Whole milk is a nutrient-rich food, and its higher fat 
content allows children to stay fuller longer.
  Unfortunately, misconceptions about certain types of fat or calories 
have prevented schools from offering whole milk as an option to our 
children. The bill gives us a chance to ensure that children have 
access to nutritional milk options they want to drink.

[[Page H5859]]

  Some children struggle to consume enough of the right calories to 
support healthy growth and stay energized throughout the entire school 
day. For some, school meals may be the only meals they receive that 
day.
  This notion that whole milk consumption is linked to childhood 
obesity is deeply flawed. In fact, studies suggest that higher cow's 
milk-fat intake is associated with a lower risk of childhood obesity. 
While it is important to limit fatty, sugary, and highly processed 
foods, whole milk does not fit into this category. In fact, many 
schoolchildren are at risk of dairy underconsumption, not 
overconsumption.
  Whole milk provides critical nutrition for growing minds. We need to 
follow the science and pass the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter).
  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the 
Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, as amended by the Senate, which allows 
for plant-based milk alternatives to be more easily and readily 
available for children with lactose intolerance.
  This is especially important because the rates of some degree of 
lactose intolerance in minority communities are startlingly high, more 
than most people would realize, with approximately 65 percent of Latino 
students, 75 percent of Black students, 90 percent of Asian students 
unable to digest dairy milk without detrimental effects.
  This portion does, in fact, follow the science. These statistics are 
real, and they are played out every single day in the classroom.
  Not long ago, I had a young lady from Louisiana, a precious little 
baby girl, who had a horrible accident because the teacher would not 
allow her to go to the restroom again after complaining of a tummy 
ache. Unfortunately, this did not end well for this student. She is a 
beautiful child. She has rebounded wonderfully, and she will be happy 
to know that going forward she will have an alternative. She doesn't 
have to contend with her belly aching after consuming something her 
body simply couldn't digest. Because the school offered no alternative, 
it was this or nothing. As you know, in many cases, our young people 
will get nothing if they don't enjoy some nutritional values at school.
  Many children may not make the connection between consumption of milk 
and their feelings of discomfort and even illness. Lactose intolerance 
causes a range of health effects including stomach pain, severe 
bloating, gas, diarrhea, and even exacerbated asthma symptoms. These 
symptoms can hinder a child's ability to concentrate in the classroom, 
to perform in the classroom, to be attentive in the classroom, and to 
learn in the classroom.
  We should do everything in our power to make sure our children have 
the best opportunity to concentrate, to learn, to do well, and to be 
healthy in the classroom.
  Currently, children who suffer adverse reactions from traditional 
milk must produce a doctor's note to receive an alternative beverage, 
which places an unfair burden squarely on minority children, children 
of working parents, children whose parents simply don't have the time 
or the ability, because of the healthcare system crisis, to even see a 
doctor, let alone get a note from a doctor.
  This bill fixes that issue. It contains a provision from bipartisan 
legislation I filed in each of the last three Congresses to remove the 
doctor's note requirement for receiving milk alternatives. This bill 
folds in those measures from my previously filed bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to 
the gentleman from Louisiana.
  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support 
this commonsense, bipartisan reform that will allow our children to 
receive the nutrition they need to feel healthy and have successful 
lives in and out of school.
  While I understand that this bill may not capture every need that is 
out there--I concede to our ranking member, who I respect greatly, that 
we have much work to do. However, this bill goes a long way to fix an 
issue that can simply not wait any longer to be addressed. I urge 
support for this measure.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Kiley), the chairman of the Subcommittee 
on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.

  Mr. KILEY of California. Mr. Speaker, it is frankly crazy that for 20 
million kids who rely on free and reduced lunch, they are banned from 
drinking whole milk as a matter of Federal law. Whatever basis in 
science or public health might have ever backed this up has long since 
been debunked. I am glad that we are finally correcting this error 
today.
  Why should kids have access to whole milk at school? Well, at least 
three reasons. Number one is nutrition. The latest science shows that 
whole milk actually is probably better for you nutritionally than other 
kinds of milk because it is less processed. As for saturated fats, 
science shows that the body processes dairy fats differently than other 
kinds of fats.
  The second reason is satiation. Whole milk is simply more filling. 
For a program that is designed to make sure kids don't go hungry, that 
might be a relevant consideration. Moreover, when kids are not full 
from their lunch, then they might be more inclined to grab things that 
are a lot less healthy.
  The third is taste. A lot of kids simply hate the taste of skim milk. 
I don't blame them. I hate it, too. I love the taste of whole milk.
  What is particularly crazy is that while schools can't serve whole 
milk, they are allowed to serve sugary strawberry and chocolate milks, 
which are a lot worse for kids.
  This may not seem like the paramount issue facing the Republic at 
this moment, but I will say that it touches upon two important issues. 
The first is health in this country. One of the biggest drivers of 
healthcare costs and of poor public health outcomes is obesity that 
begins in childhood that has continued to rise, the rates have, since 
this ban on whole milk went into effect and now constitutes over 20 
percent.
  The second issue is trust in government. Our public health 
establishment has given a lot of very bad advice in the past; for 
example, downplaying the risk of sugar. Even more than that, when kids 
are seeing the government do stupid and arbitrary things like tell them 
they can't have whole milk, I am not sure how we are supposed to foster 
the trust in government on which democracy depends.
  This is a good bill. I hope we pass it overwhelmingly today.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Finstad), the Chair of the Subcommittee 
on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture.
  Mr. FINSTAD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for 
yielding.
  I rise today in support of S. 222, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids 
Act, which I was proud to help introduce alongside Chairman Thompson.
  As a fourth generation farmer raising the fifth generation, I know 
firsthand the importance of ensuring families have access to healthy 
and nutritious milk products. As a father of seven, my wife and I have 
purchased our fair share of milk on trips to the grocery store.

                              {time}  1440

  This legislation has been in the making for a long time, and it is 
past due that we send it to the President's desk and make this the law 
of the land.
  Moving forward, every child across southern Minnesota and the rest of 
the Nation will have access to whole and 2 percent milk products when 
they go through the school lunch line. Moreover, this legislation will 
support our dairy farmers and the rural communities they call home. 
Farming is one of the most honorable and noble professions this country 
has to offer, and southern Minnesota is the home to some of the best 
dairy farmers and manufacturers in the world.
  This legislation is a win-win for school-age children and dairy 
farmers across this country. I am proud that we now, once again, can 
say loudly: ``Milk: It does a body good.''
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this important 
legislation.

[[Page H5860]]

  

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from the State of Washington (Mr. Newhouse).
  Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in full support of the Whole Milk for 
Healthy Kids Act of 2025.
  For over 10 years, children in schools across our country have been 
deprived of the many benefits of whole milk, and the Dietary Guidelines 
for Americans has reported that nearly 90 percent of Americans do not 
meet their daily dairy intake recommendations.
  This overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation brings common sense back 
to how we help the next generation stay healthy, putting vitamin D and 
calcium-rich whole milk in front of millions of children nationwide.
  However, Mr. Speaker, children are not the only ones who stand to 
benefit from this legislation.
  American dairy farmers produce and process some of the highest 
quality products in the world. With school milk accounting for more 
than 8 percent of fluid milk demand, this legislation allows our dairy 
farmers to have their products go right back into the communities from 
where they were produced.
  I thank my colleagues in both Chambers on both sides of the aisle for 
helping put this nutritious, high quality whole milk back into our 
schools and also for bringing back common sense into how we keep 
Americans healthy.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Moolenaar).
  Mr. MOOLENAAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Today, I rise in support of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. Milk 
has long been a cornerstone of children's diets in this country. It 
provides high-quality protein, calcium, vitamin D, and other essential 
nutrients that growing bodies and young minds need to thrive. For many 
kids, milk is the most reliable source of vital nutrients they receive.
  This legislation is about common sense and choice. Whole and reduced-
fat milk are safe and nutritious options that many children prefer and 
are more likely to drink. When kids enjoy milk, they are more likely to 
drink it and get the nutrition it offers instead of pouring it down the 
drain.
  The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act supports healthier kids and gives 
schools the flexibility to meet students where they are, allowing them 
to nurture healthy habits that will last a lifetime. It also supports 
our dairy farmers by allowing them more ways to meaningfully 
participate in healthy school lunch programs.
  Let's help our children grow strong and healthy.
  I thank the chairman for his leadership on this legislation, and I 
urge all my colleague to support it.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce), who is a physician.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the 
Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025.
  Whole milk needs to be offered in schools as part of a healthy 
childhood diet. This Congress, I am proud to be an original cosponsor 
of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act to bring whole milk back into 
schools.
  As a doctor, I recognize that as a source of nutrition, whole milk 
provides 13 key nutrients that are vital to bone development, brain 
development, and muscle development, all important to a growing child.
  Obama-era policies that have banned whole milk in schools have caused 
students to turn to highly caffeinated sugary drinks rather than 
healthy whole milk and other dairy products that are crucial to a 
child's development.
  Under current law, schools are only permitted to offer fat-free or 
low-fat milk. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 will allow 
schools to offer students a variety of healthy choices that include 
whole milk.
  We must give our kids healthy options in schools, and by allowing 
whole milk to be offered as a part of school lunches, this legislation 
will support kids' development while encouraging young students to make 
healthy choices.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).
  Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to be a cosponsor of the 
Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act.
  I remember when I was a child I think the average high school student 
weighed, whatever, 20 or 30 pounds less than they do today, and we had 
nothing but whole milk. Whole milk was distributed for lunch to all the 
children. We were taught from first or second grade and onward that 
calcium, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and all the nutrients 
that are necessary are in whole milk. I think this is one of the 
reasons God gave us a body in which whole milk clearly tastes better 
than 2 percent milk and way better than skim milk.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to strike a blow for freedom and to 
bring the healthiness of our children back to what it was 50 years ago 
and pass the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act.

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, as earlier noted, S. 222 does make some improvements to 
the whole milk debate with its inclusion of better options for students 
seeking nondairy alternatives. The gentleman from Louisiana spoke to 
those provisions, and that is something that is supported by our 
Nation's nutritionists, pediatricians, and scientists.
  However, I remain disappointed that the bill overall makes school 
meals less healthy. This bill goes against the dairy industry's stated 
commitment to ensure that students have access to the healthiest dairy 
options consistent with the DGAs. The DGAs make clear that fat-free and 
low-fat milk are the healthiest options for children 2 years and older. 
Whole milk contains far more saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories 
than fat-free and low-fat milk.
  In a nation where the obesity rate among children is over 16 percent 
and the children are already facing obesity-related challenges such as 
type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, we should 
not ignore the stance of dieticians, nutritionists, pediatricians, and 
the overall science.
  Mr. Speaker, I am committed to ensuring that students have access to 
the healthiest dairy options in accordance with science-backed 
guidelines, but S. 222 contradicts that commitment by interfering with 
the independent process that aligns child nutrition standards with the 
latest science.
  Furthermore, let me just point out that after months of Republican-
led political brinksmanship, we are still considering a bill that does 
nothing meaningful to address childhood obesity, nutrition, or hunger.
  The bottom line is that Members of Congress should not inject 
politics into child nutrition standards at the expense of nutritious 
school meals that our children need.
  For those reasons, I urge my colleagues to oppose S. 222, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1450

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I have proudly led this charge to restore whole milk in 
school milk programs for the last decade.
  I am grateful to those who played a role in this effort, including 
the House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg and 
former Chairwoman Virginia Foxx; my co-lead, Congresswoman Kim Schrier, 
who is a pediatrician; my Senate companion co-leads, Senators Roger 
Marshall, Peter Welch, Dave McCormick, and John Fetterman; my staff in 
my personal office and on the House Agriculture Committee, who have 
worked tirelessly to advance this bill every step of the way, 
especially my legislative director, Faith Tuttle.
  I also thank the National Milk Producers Federation, and in 
particular Paul Bleiberg; the International Dairy Foods Association; 
the Farm Bureau; the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau; and the most dedicated 
grassroots movement in America, 97 Milk, including the leadership of 
Bernie Morrissey and Sherry Bunting, Nelson Troutman, Krista Byler, 
Christine Ebersole, Dr. Edward Silverman, and a host of parents and 
dairy farmers. I thank each and every one of these individuals who

[[Page H5861]]

put their mark on this bill in a meaningful way.
  I encourage all of my colleagues to support this legislation and 
drink whole milk.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Newhouse). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 222.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________