Democratic Senators introduced a bill Thursday to cancel all school meal debt.
The measure, led by Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.), states the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) would pay off outstanding meal debt. It would also allow the USDA to purchase food for food banks.
“‘School lunch debt’ is a term so absurd that is shouldn’t even exist. I’m proud to lead the fight to cancel our nation’s school meal debt – it’s long past time to stop humiliating kids and penalizing hunger,” said Fetterman.
“We must protect students’ access to healthy foods and stand with working families. I hope to see this critical legislation signed into law this Congress,” he added.
Sens. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) and Peter Welch (Vt.) joined Fetterman on the legislation.
School meal debt sits at around $176 million each year, with over 20 million students being unable to afford meals in schools.
Multiple states have already made school breakfast and lunch free to their students, a trend that accelerated after the pandemic.
When a student in a state can’t pay for their meal, the school will still feed them but puts them into meal debt that needs to be paid later.
“Our students should be focused on learning—not worrying about whether they can afford school lunch. Ensuring our children don’t go hungry at school shouldn’t be a partisan issue. We have an obligation to ensure that all students—in red states and blue states—are supported and respected,” said Welch.
“I’m proud to partner with my friend and colleague Senator Fetterman on this commonsense bill and urge those across the aisle to join us in standing up for the welfare of children in Vermont and across America,” he added.
