Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Mr. SMUCKER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 1147, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, and I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan, bicameral, and ``udderly'' fantastic bill.

I proudly represent Pennsylvania's 11th District, which is one of the largest dairy producers in the Northeast. In 2022, 1,300 Lancaster County farms produced 2.1 billion pounds of milk.

I have visited many of those farms, and I have had many discussions with local school administrators about the importance of child nutrition. We all agree that milk is a key vehicle for delivering protein, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins A and D, especially for children.

Let's not skim over the facts here. Whole milk is truly the cream of the crop in delivering these key vitamins and nutrients to growing children.

Sadly, our Nation's kids are not consuming enough dairy. We have seen a decline in receiving those essential vitamins and nutrients since we banned whole milk in our schools. We can only begin to ``cow-culate'' the impact that has on their long-term health.

Let's not curdle away the opportunity to expand dairy consumption in our Nation's schools and ensure our children are getting the nutrients necessary to grow strong bones and teeth.

Mr. Chairman, all milk puns aside, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Expanding the universe of options for children to consume vital nutrients and vitamins is important for their long-term health. It also helps these kids be prepared for school, develop into adulthood, and cultivate a 21st century workforce.

Mr. Chairman, healthy kids and supporting our dairy farmers are ``moo-tually'' important.

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