Congressman Dan Goldman Fights Child Hunger, Pushes for Universal School Meals Program

‘Universal School Meals Program Act’ to Provide a Cost-Effective Method to Provide Free Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner to Every Student

Legislation Removes Unconscionably Low Income Cap For Current Free and Reduced Lunch Program

 6 Million Children in United States Face Food Insecurity

Washington D.C. - Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (MN-05) in introducing the Universal School Meals Program Act. This legislation would provide free breakfast, lunch, and dinner to every student, expanding on the success of the universal free lunch programs implemented during the pandemic and bringing long-term relief to millions of food-insecure families.

An estimated 6 million children nationally live in food insecure households. Universal free breakfast and lunch programs implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic reduced food insecurity by 7 percent, while saving costs for medium and large schools.

“Every child, regardless of their family’s income, should have the proper nutrition they need to thrive, inside and outside of the classroom,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “We’ve proven that providing every child with breakfast and lunch is not only possible but improves outcomes for students and schools across the board. We have a responsibility in Congress to provide our children with every opportunity to succeed, and I’m proud to join the fight to make sure every child is fed and ready to learn.”

The Universal School Meals Program Act would remove income requirements from the Free and Reduced Lunch Program. Currently, families barely above the poverty line, $34,450 for a family of four, are unable to receive free meals at school.

This legislation would also put an end to the burdensome application paperwork by no longer requiring a Free and Reduced Lunch Program application in order to participate in the program, removing a barrier from students and families who qualified for the Free and Reduced Lunch program but were not participating.

The Universal School Meals Program Act would also increase the reimbursement rate for school meals, reimburse schools for all delinquent school meal debt, and incentivizes local food procurement.

Offering universal school meals benefits students and their parents, teachers, and schools. Multiple studies show that students with access to free breakfast have improved attendance rates and perform better in school. Universal school meals have been shown to increase overall participation rates. One study found that 98 percent of school staff said universal meals reduced financial stress for students and families. Other studies have shown that children with access to universal school meals have improved health outcomes.

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