[ [link removed] ]Ilhan for Congress

As you may have seen, last week my home of Minnesota became the 3rd state in the country to pass a universal school meals bill into law.

This now means that Minnesota's students will be able to receive free breakfast and lunch at absolutely zero cost — no matter their family's income, ZIP code, or anything else.

This is truly life-changing for so many kids across our state, and I'm so proud of the local activists and elected officials who organized and mobilized to get this done.

But the truth is, we still have a great deal of work ahead of us on this issue at the federal level — and it's time the entire country follows Minnesota's lead. That's why I'm asking you today:

Add your name if you agree — Congress must pass my legislation, the Universal School Meals Act, and ensure that no child in this country goes hungry. This is important, so please make your voice heard on this issue today.

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Right now, 1 in 6 children in the United States face hunger and food insecurity. When I was a child, I was one of them.

That's why in 2020, I was incredibly proud to work closely with Senator Bernie Sanders and pass legislation making school meals universal during the pandemic. In 2021, we introduced a bill to make that change permanent.

We have to ask ourselves: When a child spends all day at school on an empty stomach, how can they be expected to learn? They can't.

Hungry students have more trouble concentrating. They are more likely to be tardy or absent from school entirely. Study after study has proven that access to meals increases student participation, benefits overall health, and improves educational outcomes both inside and outside the classroom.

Put even simpler, it is morally unacceptable that in the wealthiest country in the world, a child can be turned away from a meal because they cannot afford it.

If passed, here's just some of what this legislation would accomplish:

Permanently provide free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to all school children
Put an end to "lunch shaming"
Eliminate the outrage of student meal debt
Increase reimbursement rates for school meals
Provide additional incentives to schools for local food procurement
Provide summer meals to all children and additional summer EBT funds to low-income families

I still believe in an America that puts people first, which is why I'll never stop my fight to make universal school meals a reality for every child in our country.

The only way we'll make that happen is if our movement stands united on this issue, so please:

Add your name if you agree — Congress must pass my legislation, the Universal School Meals Act, and ensure that no child in this country goes hungry. This is important, so please make your voice heard on this issue today.

Thank you for reading, and for adding your name to my petition today.

In solidarity,

Ilhan Omar

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