Bill’s champion GT Thompson hails 97 MILK effort as ‘the most dedicated grassroots movement in America’

WASHINGTON, D.C. — After nearly 15 years of grassroots advocacy, Congress has finally cleared the way for whole and 2% milk to return to school cafeterias.

The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved the bill by voice vote on Dec. 15, following Senate passage in November, ending a federal policy dating back to 2010 that limited schools to offering only fat-free and 1% low-fat milk and barred whole milk even as an à la carte option under USDA child nutrition programs.

The legislation restores schools’ ability to offer a full range of fluid milk options, including flavored and unflavored whole, 2%, 1%, skim and lactose-free milk. It also exempts milk fat from being counted against schools’ current saturated fat limits per meal, a key technical fix school nutrition directors said was necessary to make whole and 2% milk workable in real-world menu planning. Lactose-free milk may also be offered, and parents may request a nutritionally equivalent non-dairy alternative for their child.

The bill has long been championed by Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.), chair of the House Agriculture Committee and a senior member of the House Education and Workforce Committee.

Thompson described the issue as “near and dear to my heart,” as he opened the House floor debate.

“I have worked for over a decade to restore whole milk to our school cafeterias, which have been limiting healthy choices for students, but that changes today,” Thompson said. “Whole milk is an essential building block for a well-rounded and balanced diet, and students should have the option to choose the milk they love.”   

He traced the issue back to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, saying that while its intent to address childhood obesity was good, its targeting of whole milk proved “misguided and devastating,” ultimately “resulting in the loss of an entire generation of milk drinkers.”

The floor debate reflected both the long advocacy effort behind the bill and broader policy discussion around child nutrition. Supporting lawmakers cited declining milk consumption, increased cafeteria waste, and widespread dairy underconsumption among children.

Rep. Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-Wash.), a pediatrician and co-lead on the bill, has said milk remains a significant part of children’s diets and helps keep them full and healthy. “As a pediatrician, I know how important a balanced and nutritious diet is for children’s health and development,” she said after the vote. “This bill will improve children’s nutrition by allowing schools to provide the types of milk most kids prefer to drink. I’m eager to see this legislation signed into law.”

Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) called whole milk a “nutrient-rich food” and said the notion linking it to childhood obesity is “deeply flawed.”

Supporters emphasized that the legislation restores choice, not a mandate.

Walberg noted that many schoolchildren are at risk of dairy underconsumption rather than overconsumption — a point echoed by Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), chair of the House Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee, who called it “frankly crazy” that millions of students relying on school lunches have been banned from drinking whole milk by federal law.

Kiley said the science behind the restriction has been debunked, adding that whole milk is more filling and, for many kids, simply tastes better than skim milk, making it more likely they will drink it instead of throwing it away.

Only one lawmaker rose to oppose the bill. House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) argued the legislation does not align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), saying it conflicts with what he described as “the dairy industry’s pledge to provide and promote only the most nutritious dairy and milk options as determined by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” which he characterized as fat-free and low-fat milk and dairy.

Supporters countered that the DGAs are under review as the new 2025-30 Guidelines will be announced within the next several weeks. Supporters also argued that milk consumption has declined under the existing rules to below DGA recommendations for children ages 2 to 18.

“For volunteers who carried this effort for more than a decade, it is deeply gratifying to see passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act,” said Bernie Morrissey, chair of the Grassroots Pennsylvania Dairy Advisory Committee, and Glenn Hursh, chair of 97 Milk in a joint statement. “Volunteer farmers, parents, health professionals and educators stayed the course — from painted hay bales, banners and yard signs to 97 Milk education grounded in nutrition science and even a school whole-milk choice trial showing increased consumption and substantially reduced waste.”

They credited Thompson’s persistence for keeping the bill alive and improving it with a key technical fix ensuring milk fat consumed by students is not counted against cafeteria staff in meeting federal meal restrictions on saturated fat.

“We are especially grateful to Chairman GT Thompson for his leadership and determination as the bill’s champion,” said Morrissey and Hursh in their joint statement. “This restores access to nutritious whole milk for children who receive meals at school two times a day, five days a week.”

Farm organizations described the vote as both a nutrition win and an opportunity to rebuild fluid milk consumption.

“As dairy farmers, we produce a wholesome product that our nation’s children should be free to choose at school,” said Walt Moore, president of the American Dairy Coalition. “Scientific evidence supports fuller-fat milk as an excellent source of essential nutrients. When students can choose milk with real flavor, they can benefit from all it has to offer.”

“Returning whole milk to schools is a win-win for children and dairy farmers,” said American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall. “Students gain access to important protein and vitamins, and it helps support farm families across America.”

Industry groups react

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) welcomed the bill’s passage, noting this clears the way for USDA to promptly issue guidance and work with state education departments and school districts to explain how whole and 2% milk can be offered under child nutrition programs, including the exemption of milk fat from weekly saturated fat accounting.

With school milk bidding beginning soon, IDFA urged USDA to issue guidance quickly so school nutrition directors can incorporate whole and 2% milk into 2026–27 meal planning and bidding, also encouraging USDA to explore ways to help schools offset potential cost increases.

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) described House passage as a major step toward strengthening nutrition outcomes for students, highlighting the expansion of milk choice allows dairy farmers and their cooperatives to increase their positive impact in school lunchrooms, providing students with access to more nutritious options while supporting dairy demand.

Closing thanks from GT

As debate concluded, Thompson yielded himself the balance of his time and reflected on the coalition that brought the bill across the finish line.

He said he had “proudly led this charge” for the past decade and thanked House and Senate sponsors, committee leaders, his staff, including legislative director Faith Tuttle, and national and state organizations including NMPF, mentioning Paul Bleiberg, as well as IDFA, American Farm Bureau, and Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.

Thompson closed by singling out the grassroots movement behind the bill, calling 97 Milk “the most dedicated grassroots movement in America” and naming Bernie Morrissey and Sherry Bunting, Nelson Troutman, Krista Byler, Christine Ebersole, Dr. Edward Silverman, and a host of parents and dairy farmers who, he said, put their mark on the legislation “in a meaningful way.”

He urged colleagues to support the bill and encouraged them to “drink whole milk.”

Within minutes the voice vote was described by the Speaker Pro Tempore as exceeding the two-thirds in the affirmative and gaveled Congressional approval complete.

Attention now turns to USDA implementation, including guidance to state education departments and school districts, and how the change aligns with new Dietary Guidelines for Americans expected from the secretaries of USDA and HHS in early January.

Advocates say the policy barrier is finally gone and local engagement with school boards and staff will determine how quickly these milk choices return to school cafeterias. State lawmakers can assist with supportive legislation as well.

Resources and downloadable materials to help farmers, parents, and community members engage with school boards and parent-teacher organizations will soon be available at 97milk.com as the law moves toward implementation, assuming the President signs the bill, as is anticipated.

Stay tuned for more details as no date for a signing ceremony was available at this writing, and ways to assist with implementation will be the next focus.