House Ag Committee Leaders Hopeful New Congress Can Reinstate Whole and 2% Milk in School Meals

U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Penn.) and Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-Minn.) expressed support for the new Congress passing the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act in 2025 during remarks this weekend at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Chairman Thompson is the lead sponsor of the bill, which Ranking Member Craig has cosponsored. The legislation would reinstate whole and 2% milk in federal school meals programs. Congressman Thompson is also a senior member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, which oversees child nutrition programs in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives passed the bipartisan bill 330-99 in December 2023, but the Senate did not take up the legislation before the previous Congress adjourned. In her remarks in Pennsylvania, Rep. Craig said she would “work together on this” with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the new ranking member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee.

“The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act enjoys widespread bipartisan support in Congress, and among parents, nutritionists and school meals professionals alike,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO, International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). “We’re so pleased to see congressional leaders working together in a bipartisan fashion to pass commonsense legislation that will improve access to nutritious milk options for our kids. IDFA urges the House and Senate to pass this legislation this year.”

Whole and 2% milk provide children with 13 essential nutrients for growth, development, healthy immune function, and overall wellness. Since whole and 2% milk were banned from school meals menus more than a decade ago, school milk consumption and meal participation have declined, meaning children are consuming fewer essential nutrients. This is especially concerning considering underconsumption of milk and dairy products is prevalent among school-aged children, where between 68% and 94% of school-age boys and girls are failing to meet recommended levels of dairy intake per federal guidelines.

Evolving Science Supports Whole and 2% Milk

Nutrition science has evolved in the past decade to show neutral or positive benefits of full-fat dairy foods such as whole milk, including less weight gain, neutral or lower risk of heart disease, and lower childhood obesity. Learn more about the importance of milk—especially whole and 2% milk—in the diets of healthy children at www.wholemilkforkids.com.