President Biden Signs Baldwin Supported Legislation to Extend School and Summer Meals for Kids

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Biden has signed into law bipartisan legislation supported by U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin. The Keep Kids Fed Act will extend important funding and flexibility for communities to provide children with healthy meals this summer, and provide support to schools and daycare providers to respond to supply chain challenges and high food costs for the coming school year.

“I was proud to support this bipartisan legislation because I believe we have a responsibility to keep kids fed,” said Senator Baldwin. “I have heard directly from parents, teachers and education leaders about the challenges schools still face returning to normal operations and this bipartisan legislation recognizes these challenges. It is our responsibility to take action and make sure no child goes hungry.”

Senator Baldwin has been pushing to pass legislation to extend school meals programs, which were set to expire on June 30. With 90% of the nation’s schools still facing many challenges as they return to normal operations, the bipartisan Keep Kids Fed Act will extend the school meal waivers that have been a lifeline for schools and families. The bipartisan legislation will fully extend all waivers through the summer to allow meal deliveries and grab-and-go options for students, which many families have relied on during the pandemic. It would also extend supply chain flexibilities and higher reimbursement rates through the 2022-2023 school year.

The Keep Kids Fed Act will:

• Extend flexibilities for summer meals in 2022. This will make it easier to feed all students during the summer months, particularly those in rural areas, through flexible options like meal delivery and grab-and-go.

• Extend school meal program administrative and paperwork flexibilities through the 2022-2023 school year. This will help schools streamline their meal operations and continue operating despite supply chain disruptions.

• Increase the reimbursement rate for school lunch and school breakfast to help offset the increased cost of food and operating expenses for schools. Schools will receive an additional 40 cents more for each lunch and 15 cents more for each breakfast served.

• Help daycares and home providers in the Child and Adult Care Food Program offset increased costs by providing an additional 10 cents per meal and streamlining reimbursement rates.

###