Over 14 million children are food insecure, nearly 40% of SNAP recipients are 18 or younger
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper recently joined his Democratic Senate colleagues to introduce the Universal Meals Program Act, which would provide free school breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack to all school children, regardless of where they live or their family’s ability to pay.
Colorado families are facing a cost-of-living emergency, with costs increasing for gas, groceries, and basic necessities due to inflation and President Trump’s illegal war of choice in Iran.
Nationwide, over 14 million children are food insecure, and Nearly 40% of SNAP recipients are 18 or younger.
“President Trump is spending trillions on bombs, ballrooms, and tax breaks for billionaires while Coloradans are facing a cost-of-living emergency,” said Hickenlooper. “There is no excuse for children to go hungry in the wealthiest country in the world.”
The bill comes in response to the Trump administration and congressional Republicans enacting the deepest cuts to federal nutrition programs in history. Over the last year, they slashed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by $186 billion, imposed harsh new bureaucratic requirements that stripped food assistance from millions of Americans, and refused to fund SNAP during the federal government shutdown in fall 2025.
The Universal School Meals Program Act provides the most cost-effective and inclusive model for students, families, teachers, public schools, childcare providers, and communities by:
- Providing free breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack to every student — regardless of income.
- Eliminating school meal debt for every public school student in America by reimbursing schools and ending harassment of parents and students over unpaid bills. In a 2025 survey, the School Nutrition Association found that hundreds of school districts across the country hold a median of $6,000 in unpaid meal debt.
- Increasing the reimbursement rate for schools to get closer to the actual cost of producing meals.
- Incentivizing schools to buy from local farms, bringing food from nearby farms into schools while supporting local economies.
- Providing summer meals to all children and increasing SUN Bucks (Summer EBT) to lower-income children. Currently, only communities where 50% of children are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch may operate a summer meals program. This bill makes all communities eligible, regardless of income.
- Strengthening and expanding the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to allow three meals and a snack each day, eliminate the two-tiered reimbursement rate for CACFP, and allow childcare providers to receive the highest reimbursement rate regardless of income.
Full text of the bill is available HERE.
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