Bill · S. 5174· Senate(119-S-5174)
American Food for American Schools Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 7/30/2026
- Last activity
- 7/30/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Sponsored by
- Tim Sheehy
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The American Food for American Schools Act of 2026 seeks to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to prioritize domestic food products. It changes the requirement from purchasing domestic goods to the maximum extent practicable to a direct mandate to purchase domestic goods. Under this bill, school food authorities must request a waiver from the Secretary before purchasing foreign commodities or products. These waivers are limited to 5 percent of the total annual commercial food costs for specific meal components. The act also requires notification to parents regarding foreign products and establishes a public list of waivers. Additionally, it mandates specific contract provisions for suppliers to ensure compliance with these domestic purchasing requirements.
Yes· 3 of 13
Would farmers be better off under this?+5
The bill directly benefits domestic farmers by creating a mandated market for their products in the school food system.
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+4
The bill mandates public lists of waivers and supplier noncompliance, increasing transparency in school food procurement.
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?+3
The focus on domestic production provides economic support to rural agricultural communities.
The opposite
Does this make trade with other countries easier?-3
The bill prioritizes domestic goods, which could disrupt existing international trade relationships and import flows.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Increased Transparency for Parents: A school food authority that purchases foreign commodities or products must notify parents or guardians of students at least once each school year (Section 2(a)(b)(iv)).
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Public Accountability for Food Authorities: The Secretary of Agriculture is required to maintain a publicly available list on the Department of Agriculture website detailing school food authorities that received waivers, including the specific food products involved (Section 2(a)(b)(v)).
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Public Accountability for Suppliers: The Secretary must make a list of every instance of supplier noncompliance publicly available on the Department of Agriculture website (Section 3(b)(E)).
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Accountability for Suppliers: Suppliers that fail to comply with contract provisions regarding domestic purchasing are required to pay the Secretary an amount equal to the Federal funds used to purchase those foreign goods (Section 3(b)(B)(i)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Limitations on Product Availability: A school food authority may only use a waiver to purchase foreign commodities if those products are not produced or processed domestically in sufficient quantities or are not reasonably available domestically in sufficient quality (Section 2(a)(b)(ii)).
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Restrictions on Food Procurement: The use of waivers for foreign products is capped at 5 percent of the total annual commercial food costs of a school food authority within each meal component (Section 2(a)(b)(iii)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Farmers+5Good For Rural Residents+3Good For Business Owners+2Good For Children+2Good For Students+1
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+3Increases Job Creation+3Improves Economic Growth+2Improves Small Business Support+2
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+4Increases Federal Power+2
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Rural Development+3
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Improves International Trade-3
- Education And Technology
- Increases Public School Funding+1
- 7/30/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
3 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Adam SchiffDemocrat · California