{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.schiff.senate.gov/news/press-releases/news-sen-schiff-unveils-legislative-package-to-expand-access-to-affordable-meals-for-college-students-address-food-insecurity-on-college-campuses/", "NEWS: Sen. Schiff Unveils Legislative Package to Expand Access to Affordable Meals for College Students, Address Food Insecurity on College Campuses", "2026-09-18", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "CA", "Adam B. Schiff", "S001150", "www.schiff.senate.gov", "schiff", "https://www.schiff.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is unveiling two pieces of legislation that will provide college students across the nation\u2019s campuses access to affordable, nutritious, and hot meals \u2013 addressing the worsening food insecurity students on college campuses face.\n\nThe Hot Meals for College Students Act will allow for college students to use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to purchase hot and prepared meals from on-campus vendors. The Food for Thought Act will direct the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a grant program for colleges to offer free meals to low-income students.\n\n\u201cCollege students should never have to worry about where their next meal will come from or have to drop out because they can\u2019t afford food and tuition. These bills are a commonsense approach to addressing student hunger and strengthening higher education,\u201d said Senator Schiff.\n\nAs the food and housing insecurity crises worsen, these challenges are especially acute in California, where the rising cost of food, housing and other necessities continues to strain students already confronting the high cost of attending college.\n\nSenator Schiff developed this legislation through his ongoing effort to visit community colleges across California and hear directly from students about the challenges they face. During a visit to San Bernardino Valley College, Jazmyn Garcia, a San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD) Student Trustee, raised the difficulty of not being able to use SNAP benefits to purchase meals on campus. By bringing students\u2019 experiences into the policymaking process, this bill offers a practical solution to make SNAP more accessible on college campuses and ensure students can more readily use their benefits for nutritious food.\n\n\u201cStudents like me aren\u2019t asking for a new benefit. We\u2019re asking to use the food assistance we already qualify for where we spend most of our day. I\u2019m a full-time STEM student, I work, and SNAP is my food budget. I already qualify for these benefits, but I can\u2019t use them to buy a hot meal from the cafeteria on my own campus. I try to meal prep, but between school and work, some days I just can\u2019t. A lot of students are balancing school, jobs, bills and family while preparing for careers our communities need. Being able to use SNAP for a hot meal on campus would remove one small but real barrier to finishing college. I\u2019m grateful Senator Schiff came to our campus, listened to students and is working to fix that,\u201d said Jazmyn Garcia, a San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD) Student Trustee.\n\n\u201cWe can\u2019t expect students to do their best in class when they\u2019re hungry, and we can\u2019t expect faculty to teach around hunger. Our cafeterias are already here serving students every day. Federal rules should not make it harder for students who already qualify for SNAP to use those benefits for a hot meal on campus. Senator Schiff\u2019s bill is a common-sense fix,\u201d said Dr. Diana Z. Rodriguez, SBCCD\u2019s Chancellor.\n\n\u201cTrump and the MAGA-controlled Congress have cut benefits for the most vulnerable, including many Californians that our members teach every day. UAW 4123 members support the Hot Meals for College Students Act of 2026 because we know that in order to learn, our students need access to healthy meals,\u201d said Lark Winner, the President of United Auto Workers (UAW) 4123, which represents California State University student workers.\n\nThe Hot Meals for College Students is endorsed by SwipeOut Hunger, the Hope Center for Student Basic Needs, National Education Association (NEA), University of California Student Association (UCSA), University of California Graduate & Professional Council (UCGPC), The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), UAW Local 4811, which represents UC student workers, UAW Local 4123, California Community Colleges, Allan Hancock College, College of the Siskiyous, San Bernardino Community College District, Sierra College, Solano Community College, Victor Valley College, Woodland Community College, MiraCosta College, Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District and Pasadena City College.\n\nThe full text of the legislation is available here.\n\nA one-pager for the legislation is available here.\n\nThe Food for Thought Act will create a grant program within USDA to provide free meals to low-income college students, including those at minority-serving institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).\n\nThe Food for Thought Act will:\n\nAmend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to institutions of higher education to provide free meals to low-income students;\n\nAuthorize funds that schools may use to conduct campus outreach on student eligibility for federal food assistance programs, operate on-campus food pantries, and update or purchase critical food infrastructure such as refrigerators and microwaves for student use; and\n\nEnsure grantees will collect and report data on the prevalence of food insecurity on their campuses to inform and expand national anti-hunger programming.\n\nSenator Schiff first introduced the Food for Thought Act as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019.\n\nAlong with Schiff, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) is co-leading, and U.S. Representative Nanette Barrag\u00e1n (D-Calif.-44) is leading the House companion legislation.\n\n\u201cStudents from underserved communities face enough challenges in higher education without the added burden of wondering where their next meal is coming from. We should do all we can to provide the resources necessary to give a helping hand to students facing food insecurity on campus,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join Senator Schiff and Rep. Barrag\u00e1n in leading the Food for Thought Act to ensure students from Vermont to California never have to decide between their next meal or pursuing their future.\u201d\n\n\u201cStudents should never have to choose between putting food on the table and earning a college degree,\u201d said Representative Barrag\u00e1n. \u201cFor too many students, especially those from low-income families, hunger is another barrier standing between them and their education. The Food for Thought Act will help colleges provide free meals, strengthen campus food resources, and connect students with the assistance they need to succeed. When we invest in a student\u2019s basic needs, we are investing in their ability to stay in school, graduate, and build a better future. No student should have to go hungry while working toward their education.\u201d\n\nThe Food for Thought Act is endorsed by numerous organizations and community colleges: California State University, California Community Colleges, University of California Student Association (UCSA), University of California Graduate and Professional Council (UCGPC), UAW Local 4811, UAW Local 4123, SwipeOut Hunger, Hope Center for Student Basic Needs, Congressional Hunger Center, The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), American Association of Community Colleges, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Community College League of California, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, Southern California College Attainment Network, Association of Community College Trustees, Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, Los Angeles Community College District, National Educational Association, UnidosUS, National Urban League, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), American Council on Education (ACE), CalState Long Beach, LA Harbor College, East Los Angeles College, Cerritos College, Hunger Free Vermont, Allan Hancock College, Citrus College, El Camino College, Hartnell College, Lake Tahoe Community College, Madera Community College, Mendocino College, MiraCosta College, Monterey Peninsula College, Ohlone College, Palomar College, Pasadena City College, Rio Hondo College, Santa Rosa Junior College, Mt. San Jacinto College, Victor Valley College, Cabrillo College, College of the Canyons, Cerritos College, Hudson Valley Community College (NY), San Juan College (NM), South Puget Sound Community College, Chaffey College, Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, Kern Community College District, San Bernardino Community College District, Yuba Community College District, Foothill-De Anza Community College District, New Mexico Independent Community Colleges (NM), Riverside Community College District, Yosemite Community College District, South Orange County Community College District, and Chabot-Las Positas Community College District.\n\n\u201cOn behalf of over 237,000 students across the University of California, and the millions of students across the country who deserve to pursue their education without being hungry, the UC Student Association is excited to stand with Senator Schiff in strong support of the Food for Thought Act,\u201d said Duke Dela Rosa, UCSA Government Relations Chair and rising junior at UC Berkeley. \u201cAddressing the basic needs crisis facing students is a critical step to strengthen education outcomes, especially when nearly 1 in 4 students nationally struggle with food security, impacting their success and their ability to graduate.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe University of California Graduate & Professional Council endorses the Food for Thought Act of 2026 to authorize certain institutions of higher education to provide free meals to low-income students as part of necessary efforts to reduce student hunger. As detailed in the January 2025 UCLA Report, SNAP on College Campuses, college students face extremely high levels of food insecurity with more than 70% of CCC students, more than 50% of CSU students, and 42% of UC students. The UC has set an ambitious goal of reducing food insecurity in half by 2030; however, achieving this goal requires federal support. The University of California Graduate & Professional Council is in full support of reducing student hunger and the Food for Thought Act. Student hunger is a structural barrier to higher education, not a personal failure, and we recognize that this federal investment will ensure that hunger does not stand between students and their education. We cannot ask students to work harder, study harder, and graduate on time while accepting that so many are struggling to meet their most basic needs,\u201d said Stephanie Valadez, UC Graduate & Professional Council President at UCGPC.\n\n\u201cThe California State University is proud to support Senator Schiff, Senator Welch, and Representative Barrag\u00e1n\u2019s efforts to strengthen resources for college students experiencing food insecurity. When students have reliable access to nutritious meals, they are better positioned to stay enrolled, focus on their education and remain on track to graduate even during periods of financial hardship. The Food for Thought Act aligns with CSU Forward\u2019s commitment to student success by giving institutions greater capacity to address food insecurity and help more students make meaningful progress toward their degrees,\u201d said Dilcie Perez, Vice Chancellor, Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success at California State University.\n\n\u201cAs the educators who do the majority of frontline teaching at UC, UAW 4811 members know that no student should face hunger or food insecurity while pursuing their degree. UAW 4811 members back the Food for Thought Act because our students deserve to focus on their studies, not on where their next meal will come from,\u201d said Rafael Jaime, President of UAW 4811.\n\n\u201cMillions of students across the country struggle to access and afford sufficient and nutritious food, forcing them to work long hours, take on unmanageable debt, or stop out. Recent SNAP cuts have only made the problem worse. The Food for Thought Act is a necessary and sensible bill that would provide meals to students who too often go hungry, allowing them to focus on what really matters: thriving in their studies and fulfilling their potential,\u201d said Mark Huelsman, Director of Policy & Advocacy at The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs.\n\n\u201cAs college food insecurity worsens and resources for on-campus food programs become more scarce, the Food for Thought Act shows how policy can provide much-needed solutions today. With this legislation, more students will be able to access the meals they need to be successful in school, and more schools will be able to support their students all the way to graduation day,\u201d said Zoe Duffield, Director of Advocacy at SwipeOut Hunger.\n\n\u201cRoughly 1 in 4 college students experience food insecurity, and the OBBBA\u2019s historic cuts to SNAP will make it harder for students at or near poverty to access federal food assistance. We must invest in policies to fill this gap so that students can focus on their studies, not on affording their next meal,\u201d said Valerie Crespin-Trujillo, Senior Director of College Completion & Basic Needs at The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS). \u201cThe Food for Thought Act pilots new approaches to addressing food insecurity among low-income students, which can in turn increase student success.\u201d\n\nThe full text of the legislation is available here.\n\nA one-pager for the legislation is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-19T09:11:33Z", "2026-09-19T09:12:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.schiff.senate.gov/news/press-releases/news-sen-schiff-unveils-legislative-package-to-expand-access-to-affordable-meals-for-college-students-address-food-insecurity-on-college-campuses/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8341367356479168, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}