Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), John Fetterman (D-PA) and Peter Welch (D-VT) have introduced the School Lunch Debt Cancellation Act to cancel student lunch debt nationwide.

“No child in Rhode Island – or anywhere in America – should be penalized for not being able to afford school lunch. It’s that simple,” said Whitehouse. “Our legislation will eliminate lunch debt in schools, supporting every child’s access to a healthy meal and positioning them for long-term success.”

“‘School lunch debt’ is a term so absurd that it shouldn’t even exist. That’s why I’m proud to introduce this bill to cancel the nation’s student meal debt and stop humiliating kids and penalizing hunger,” said Fetterman. “It’s time to come together and stop playing political games with American’s access to food. September is Hunger Action Month and I’m proud to be introducing this bill to help working families now, while we work to move our other priorities to combat food insecurity in our nation.”