ST. ALBANS, VT — Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, joined students, educators, and farmers at St. Albans City Elementary School to celebrate the Senate’s unanimous passage of his bipartisan bill, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which supports America’s students and dairy farmers.
The bipartisan bill, co-led with Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), would allow schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to offer students whole milk, in addition to reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free, lactose-free milk, and non-dairy alternatives. It now moves to the House of Representatives, which is expected to consider the legislation soon
“Dairy is at the heart of Vermont’s culture and local economy, which is why this bipartisan bill to expand access to whole milk in our schools is a win for Vermont’s students and farmers alike. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act will help our next generation grow stronger and let Vermont dairy farmers do what they love—feed our communities,” said Senator Welch. “I look forward to the President signing this bill into law to ensure students in St. Albans and around the country can get the key nutrients they need.”
View photos from the event below and on the Senator’s website:
Senator Welch has been a leading advocate for protecting and expanding access to nutrition programs in the Senate. Senator Welch recently introduced legislation to help more Americans access SNAP and improve child nutrition, including the Farm to School Act, Local School Foods Expansion Act, Improving Access to Nutrition Act of 2025, Student Loan Deduction Act of 2025, and the School Lunch Debt Cancellation Act.
In August, the Senator joined nutrition advocates and leaders from across Vermont for a press conference outlining how President Trump and Republicans’ tax and spending bill will hurt Americans who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other nutrition assistance programs. Senator Welch voted in strong opposition to the bill.
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