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School children have lunch in a library in San Francisco, California.
(Photo by Liz Hafalia/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
As Trump Slashes Food Aid, Sanders and Omar Lead Bill to ‘End Child Hunger in the United States’
"It is outrageous that, while the billionaire class has never had it so good, one in five children will go hungry in America this year," said Sen. Bernie Sanders.
May 14, 2026
As federal food aid cuts enacted by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans wreak havoc across the US, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ilhan Omar on Wednesday led the reintroduction of legislation that would make free school meals available to every student in the country—regardless of family income.
The Universal School Meals Program Act of 2026 would offer free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to every student—including during the summer months—without forcing parents to fill out burdensome applications proving their income level.
The legislation would also reimburse schools for unpaid school meal debt, ending "the harassment of parents and students," according to a fact sheet released by Sanders' (I-Vt.) office. Supporters say the bill, if enacted, would "end child hunger in the United States."
“It is outrageous that, while the billionaire class has never had it so good, one in five children will go hungry in America this year,” the Vermont senator said in a statement Wednesday. “The United States is the richest country in the history of the world. Nobody should be going hungry. And what we learned during the pandemic is that a universal approach to school meals works and helps kids do better in school. States across the country continue to prove this every day. It is time for Congress to reinstate universal school meals at the national level to finally ensure no student goes hungry."
Omar (D-Minn.), a leading congressional champion of universal free school meals, said that "no child should have to sit in a classroom hungry or worried about where their next meal will come from."
"As a former nutrition educator and someone who experienced hunger firsthand, this fight is deeply personal to me," said Omar. "I have always believed you must feed kids’ bellies before you can feed their brains. That is why I am proud to partner again with Bernie Sanders to introduce the Universal School Meals Program Act, which would provide free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks to students year-round. Universal school meals are not a luxury—they are a necessity.”
The updated legislation, which is backed by more than 100 lawmakers in the House and Senate, comes as Trump and the GOP's unprecedented cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) take hold nationwide, sending food bank demand surging as tens of thousands of families lose benefits. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) has estimated that the SNAP cuts enacted as part of the 2025 Trump-GOP budget law would slash nutrition benefits for around a million children.
The School Nutrition Association said following passage of the Trump-GOP budget package that the law's SNAP cuts would mean that "fewer children are automatically eligible for free school meals as families lose SNAP and Medicaid benefits."
"As this bill is implemented and families lose access to food assistance through SNAP benefits, their children will also lose automatic eligibility for school meals, making access to nutrition more difficult or out of reach completely," SNA warned last summer. "Meanwhile, schools facing staff shortages and budget constraints will struggle to manage increased paperwork and application processing requirements."
Trump and Republicans are also pursuing additional food aid cuts by moving to slash funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in the coming fiscal year. A recent CBPP analysis found that congressional Republicans' proposed WIC cuts would strip "fruit and vegetable benefits from nearly 5.4 million toddlers, preschoolers, and pregnant and postpartum WIC participants."
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As federal food aid cuts enacted by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans wreak havoc across the US, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ilhan Omar on Wednesday led the reintroduction of legislation that would make free school meals available to every student in the country—regardless of family income.
The Universal School Meals Program Act of 2026 would offer free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to every student—including during the summer months—without forcing parents to fill out burdensome applications proving their income level.
The legislation would also reimburse schools for unpaid school meal debt, ending "the harassment of parents and students," according to a fact sheet released by Sanders' (I-Vt.) office. Supporters say the bill, if enacted, would "end child hunger in the United States."
“It is outrageous that, while the billionaire class has never had it so good, one in five children will go hungry in America this year,” the Vermont senator said in a statement Wednesday. “The United States is the richest country in the history of the world. Nobody should be going hungry. And what we learned during the pandemic is that a universal approach to school meals works and helps kids do better in school. States across the country continue to prove this every day. It is time for Congress to reinstate universal school meals at the national level to finally ensure no student goes hungry."
Omar (D-Minn.), a leading congressional champion of universal free school meals, said that "no child should have to sit in a classroom hungry or worried about where their next meal will come from."
"As a former nutrition educator and someone who experienced hunger firsthand, this fight is deeply personal to me," said Omar. "I have always believed you must feed kids’ bellies before you can feed their brains. That is why I am proud to partner again with Bernie Sanders to introduce the Universal School Meals Program Act, which would provide free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks to students year-round. Universal school meals are not a luxury—they are a necessity.”
The updated legislation, which is backed by more than 100 lawmakers in the House and Senate, comes as Trump and the GOP's unprecedented cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) take hold nationwide, sending food bank demand surging as tens of thousands of families lose benefits. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) has estimated that the SNAP cuts enacted as part of the 2025 Trump-GOP budget law would slash nutrition benefits for around a million children.
The School Nutrition Association said following passage of the Trump-GOP budget package that the law's SNAP cuts would mean that "fewer children are automatically eligible for free school meals as families lose SNAP and Medicaid benefits."
"As this bill is implemented and families lose access to food assistance through SNAP benefits, their children will also lose automatic eligibility for school meals, making access to nutrition more difficult or out of reach completely," SNA warned last summer. "Meanwhile, schools facing staff shortages and budget constraints will struggle to manage increased paperwork and application processing requirements."
Trump and Republicans are also pursuing additional food aid cuts by moving to slash funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in the coming fiscal year. A recent CBPP analysis found that congressional Republicans' proposed WIC cuts would strip "fruit and vegetable benefits from nearly 5.4 million toddlers, preschoolers, and pregnant and postpartum WIC participants."
As federal food aid cuts enacted by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans wreak havoc across the US, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ilhan Omar on Wednesday led the reintroduction of legislation that would make free school meals available to every student in the country—regardless of family income.
The Universal School Meals Program Act of 2026 would offer free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to every student—including during the summer months—without forcing parents to fill out burdensome applications proving their income level.
The legislation would also reimburse schools for unpaid school meal debt, ending "the harassment of parents and students," according to a fact sheet released by Sanders' (I-Vt.) office. Supporters say the bill, if enacted, would "end child hunger in the United States."
“It is outrageous that, while the billionaire class has never had it so good, one in five children will go hungry in America this year,” the Vermont senator said in a statement Wednesday. “The United States is the richest country in the history of the world. Nobody should be going hungry. And what we learned during the pandemic is that a universal approach to school meals works and helps kids do better in school. States across the country continue to prove this every day. It is time for Congress to reinstate universal school meals at the national level to finally ensure no student goes hungry."
Omar (D-Minn.), a leading congressional champion of universal free school meals, said that "no child should have to sit in a classroom hungry or worried about where their next meal will come from."
"As a former nutrition educator and someone who experienced hunger firsthand, this fight is deeply personal to me," said Omar. "I have always believed you must feed kids’ bellies before you can feed their brains. That is why I am proud to partner again with Bernie Sanders to introduce the Universal School Meals Program Act, which would provide free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks to students year-round. Universal school meals are not a luxury—they are a necessity.”
The updated legislation, which is backed by more than 100 lawmakers in the House and Senate, comes as Trump and the GOP's unprecedented cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) take hold nationwide, sending food bank demand surging as tens of thousands of families lose benefits. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) has estimated that the SNAP cuts enacted as part of the 2025 Trump-GOP budget law would slash nutrition benefits for around a million children.
The School Nutrition Association said following passage of the Trump-GOP budget package that the law's SNAP cuts would mean that "fewer children are automatically eligible for free school meals as families lose SNAP and Medicaid benefits."
"As this bill is implemented and families lose access to food assistance through SNAP benefits, their children will also lose automatic eligibility for school meals, making access to nutrition more difficult or out of reach completely," SNA warned last summer. "Meanwhile, schools facing staff shortages and budget constraints will struggle to manage increased paperwork and application processing requirements."
Trump and Republicans are also pursuing additional food aid cuts by moving to slash funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in the coming fiscal year. A recent CBPP analysis found that congressional Republicans' proposed WIC cuts would strip "fruit and vegetable benefits from nearly 5.4 million toddlers, preschoolers, and pregnant and postpartum WIC participants."
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