Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Chairwoman of House Republican Leadership, announced the passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act in the House of Representatives. The legislation permits school cafeterias to serve both flavored and unflavored whole milk.
“For the past decade, I have worked with constituents, parents, kids, families, and dairy farmers to expand children’s access to whole and flavored milk in schools to deliver nutritious and healthy dairy products to help children grow and develop. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act empowers schools to offer flavored and unflavored whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free milk offering kids a variety of healthy dairy choices in the cafeteria. This is a significant result of over a decade of hard work – I have been proud to co-lead and champion this legislative effort. A special thanks to Assemblyman Chris Tague and local advocates for helping to get this done!” said Stefanik.
Stefanik has previously celebrated progress on this bill during the last Congress. In June 2023, she voted for the act as it moved through the Education and the Workforce Committee with bipartisan support. She also led a bipartisan letter that month urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture not to ban flavored milk in schools after a proposed rule was introduced.
Earlier in February 2023, Stefanik reintroduced legislation aimed at preserving milk choice in schools following an attempt by New York City Mayor Eric Adams to prohibit chocolate milk from school cafeterias. In 2022, she joined other lawmakers in sending a letter asking Mayor Adams not to proceed with banning flavored milk in New York City schools; following her advocacy efforts, Adams announced a temporary delay on his decision.
Elise Stefanik has represented New York’s 21st District in Congress since 2015 after replacing Bill Owens. She was born in Albany, New York in 1984 and lives in Schuylerville. Stefanik graduated from Harvard University with an AB degree.
For more information about this announcement: https://stefanik.house.gov/2025/12/stefanik-champions-house-passage-of-whole-milk-for-healthy-kids-act
