WASHINGTON – U.S. Reps. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., and Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., have introduced the bipartisan Giving Increased Variety to Ensure Milk Into the Lives of Kids (GIVE MILK) Act, a bill that will aim to make it easier for expectant mothers and mothers of young children to access milk for their families and provide infants, children, and mothers the nutrients they need during key developmental stages.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) currently restricts milk choices to nonfat or 1% in most cases. The GIVE MILK Act would enable participants over the age of two to receive 2% reduced fat or whole milk.

“For more than a decade, whole milk has been wrongfully dubbed as unhealthy, but in reality, it provides a wealth of essential nutrients that are particularly important for children,” Thompson said. “Including whole milk in the WIC program will provide a healthy option for those families who find themselves depending upon these benefits for access to essential nutrition.”

“Parents should have the freedom to choose what kind of milk they bring home to their families,” Deluzio said. “Yet the WIC program doesn’t allow parents to buy whole or 2% milk. I’m proud to co-lead the GIVE MILK Act with Congressman Thompson to fix this, giving the full range of milk options to families in Pennsylvania and across the country.”