Ilhan Omar: “I thank the chairman for his remarks. The chairman is right that when we invest in our children, who are assets to our…”

“I thank the chairman for his remarks. The chairman is right that when we invest in our children, who are assets to our future, it pays dividends. It is important that we recognize that it shouldn't be a partisan issue to want to feed the bellies of our children before we try to feed their brains. We know from study after study that kids do better in school when they are fed. When they have adequate nutrition, they show up to school much more ready to learn, and their behavior in itself is much different. Example after example, we found, as we looked into this, schoolwide free meals improve math performance in districts where relatively few students qualify under the income-based programs Brookings found. A study found that students in schools with universal school meals fare better on tests than their peers without these meals. That is according to Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. The nutrition quality of school meals has improved. Students with universal school meal programs are being offered more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. That means that they are getting the nutrients that will help with their development. New York City, where there have been universal school meals, a study found that regardless of poverty status, the universal school meals program improved students' perception of bullying, fighting, and safety at their schools. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Bowman).”