Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, first of all, merry Christmas.

My bipartisan amendment prevents the USDA from issuing any rule that bans any of the milk covered in this bill, including chocolate milk. This would ensure that all types and flavors of milk are available to schoolchildren and not subject to bureaucratic rulemaking.

Some may ask why are we focusing on this issue. Unfortunately, it is because the USDA has set its sights on getting rid of chocolate milk in schools. It is now up to us to act.

This summer, it was reported that the Department of Agriculture is considering a ban on chocolate milk in elementary and middle schools. USDA issued a proposed rule that would set a new nutrition standard for school meals. These new standards could limit the availability of flavored milk, like chocolate and strawberry, in high schools while children in elementary and middle schools would have no access at all.

For those of you with young children or grandchildren, go and ask them what they think about USDA's new rule. I think I can speak for most folks when saying that when I was young, chocolate milk was usually the highlight of having lunch at school, but this new rule would mean that roughly 30 million students who participate in the USDA's school meal programs would no longer be able to have chocolate milk, or any flavored milk for that matter.

According to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, removing flavored milk from schools resulted in a 62 to 63 percent reduction in milk consumption by kids in kindergarten through fifth grade, including a 50 percent reduction in sixth through eighth grades.

Milk is full of rich nutrients that support bone growth and development, and millions of children enjoy drinking it. We should not allow rules that would limit our children's access to delicious and nutritious products like milk and its varieties covered in this great bill.

Mr. Chair, I say to the USDA, come and take it.

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Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chairman, oh, those experts, those experts have done us so well in the United States of America. Why are we $33 trillion in debt? Why do we have childhood obesity that is off the charts at this point?

Oh, those experts serve us so well, those experts that told us that butter is not good for us. Remember that a number of decades ago? Growing up on a dairy farm in western Wisconsin, I couldn't believe the experts were telling us that butter is not good for us. Well, all of a sudden, they are changing their tune on that.

They told us that we shouldn't possibly drink whole milk. They are beginning to turn on that also and saying maybe that is good for our children.

Yeah, the experts, they have done us so well.

The reason I bring this before the House of Representatives is I did listen to experts, those people who run the school lunch programs.

I will never forget a day about a decade ago when I stopped at a local gas station in northern Wisconsin, and a school lunch director came up to me--I didn't even know her--she said, at that time, Senator Tiffany, would you tell the Federal Government to get out of our school lunch program? We are throwing away so much food.

Remember Michelle Obama's school lunch dictates that she put in place? The school lunch director said, Don't do that to us. I had multiple school lunch directors across northern Wisconsin, in my district, asking the Federal Government to stay out of their school lunch programs: We know what we are doing, we are trained in what we are doing, and we see what happens in our schools.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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