119th (2025–2027)
H.R. 9980
The American Food for American Schools Act of 2026 strengthens "Buy American" requirements for school meal programs by requiring schools to purchase domestic food products whenever possible and obtain federal waivers before buying foreign-sourced foods. Schools can only purchase foreign products without a waiver if domestic alternatives are unavailable or insufficient in quantity or quality, and waivers are limited to 5 percent of a school food authority's annual food costs per food category. The legislation applies to school lunch and breakfast programs as well as summer meal services, child care food programs, and the special milk program. The bill requires schools to notify parents annually about any foreign food purchases and mandates that the Department of Agriculture maintain a publicly available list of all approved waivers within one year of the first waiver being granted. Schools and their food suppliers must include Buy American compliance provisions in all food contracts, and suppliers that violate these requirements must reimburse the federal government for any non-compliant purchases. The bill also increases funding for the Buy American procurement training program from 1 million dollars to 5 million dollars annually for the 2026-2031 period.