Bill from Sen. Murray aims to alleviate child hunger when schools close

Senator Patty Murray has introduced a bill that would help alleviate child hunger.

The bill is called the “Stop Child Hunger Act,” and it would provide low-income families with an EBT card, in place of free or reduced-priced meals, so their kids can continue to get food when school is out or school buildings are temporarily closed.

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The problem of child hunger was brought to light as many students who relied on meals at school were unable to access them when the COVID-19 pandemic forced learning to move online.

“Hunger does not take time off when school buildings are physically closed, so we can’t either,” Murray said. “We know how to end it, we’ve shown we can do it, and now all that’s left is to get this legislation to President Biden’s desk.”

According to a release from Sen. Murray’s office, approximately 29.6 million U.S. students are eligible to received free or reduced-price school meals each day, and one in six Washington state kids live in a household that faces challenges in putting enough food on the table.

The Stop Child Hunger Act builds on the foundation of current Pandemic-EBT and Summer EBT programs to establish a permanent, nationwide nutrition program for kids when they’re out of school.

“We’re just asking to make the program permanent, and what we do know is that the President supports this. He’s already put it in the American Rescue Plan, so we believe we have a very good chance at getting this done,” Sen. Murray said.

President Biden’s recently unveiled American Families Plan would also make a similar investment in expanding school nutrition programs.

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Sen. Murray is the chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.