Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Mr. MILLS. Mr. Chair, this amendment prohibits schools from participating in the school lunch program under the act from purchasing or offering milk produced by Chinese state-owned enterprises that may be operating here within the United States or elsewhere.

As many of us know, in 2008, the melamine scandal exposed systemic corruption and disregard for the safety standards within China's own dairy industry. This scandal resulted in the death of six infants and sickened thousands more, highlighting the devastating consequences of lax regulations and unethical practices.

The evidence is clear: These enterprises pose a serious threat to our consumers' health, our economic security, and our national interests. We can't allow CCP enterprises to export their dangerous practices to our school lunches.

This is an issue of maintaining American control of critical supply chains. Chinese state-owned enterprises have no business being in our schools.

Florida is one of the largest cattle producers in America, and there is no way I will allow producers in my State to be compromised by the CCP or the PRC. If we fail to act, we risk losing our family farms and jeopardizing the livelihoods of thousands of Americans.

This is not about trade isolationism; it is about protecting our children in schools from unsafe products, ensuring fair competition for American producers, and safeguarding our national security.

The potential consequences of inaction are simply too great for me to ignore. The quality and safety of food that we provide to our children is paramount, and we cannot compromise on these standards. We must be vigilant about our source and production practices of the products that are present in our educational institutions and safeguard them from adversaries that do not share our same interests.

By prohibiting schools from purchasing or offering milk produced by China's state-owned enterprises operating in the United States and elsewhere, we aim to send a clear message about our commitment to health and the safety of our children.

Last year, over 30 million schoolchildren relied on school lunches for their nutrition. We have seen how the CCP has approached other industries, and we cannot allow such an important sector to become vulnerable in a time of crisis.

Therefore, I urge you to join me in preventing the CCP-supported entities from infiltrating school lunches and a key American supply chain. This is a necessary step to protect the health and well-being of our citizens, safeguard our economy, and defend our national interests. Let us send a clear message that we will prioritize the safety and security of our Nation's schoolchildren above all else.

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Mr. MILLS. Mr. Chairman, it is interesting, and I understand that facts, for whatever reason, seem to sink in a lot slower on the left than they do in America's party, so I will say this once more.

In 2008, the melamine scandal exposed systemic corruption and disregard for our complete safety in milk and other dairy products produced by China, so it is interesting that the gentleman says they are not actually weakening anything when they had infants and children by the thousands who died or were sickened by their actual production capacity capabilities or incapabilities.

Again, facts are a very finicky thing. They oftentimes slowly leak in on the left, but you can't dispute that China's production of dairy has been less safe and less put under the regulations of rigorous streams than they do in American production with the FDA.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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