# School Breakfast Program *Federal child nutrition program created as a two-year pilot by the Child Nutrition Act of 1966.* The **School Breakfast Program** is a federal child nutrition program. Section 4 of the [[Child Nutrition Act of 1966]] created it as a two-year pilot of grants-in-aid to states for nonprofit breakfast programs in schools. The Act is Public Law 89-642, 80 Stat. 885, and was approved on October 11, 1966.[^1][^2] At the signing, President Lyndon B. Johnson stated the Act's purpose in two sentences: "Thousands of children arrive at school hungry because they have no breakfast. This act provides for breakfasts at school."[^3] The enacted text authorizes "a pilot program to assist States through grants-in-aid and other means, to initiate, maintain, or expand nonprofit breakfast programs in schools." In the same Act, Congress reauthorized the Special Milk Program at §3.[^1] The Act was signed while [[Orville Freeman]] was [[Secretary of Agriculture]], and Johnson's remarks address him first.[^3][^4] Nineteen months later, [[Public Law 90-302]] added a new §13 to the [[National School Lunch Act]]. Statutes enacted in 1975 and 1989 split that section and renamed one of its branches, producing the programs now called the Summer Food Service Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.[^5][^6][^7] The project's at-issue record compares a $7.5 million first-year ceiling for the breakfast pilot with a $250 million fraud figure that it attributes to the program's "statutory siblings" sixty years later. The record calls the larger figure thirty-three times the program's first-year authorization. None of the primary sources quoted in the pack states either figure.[^8] ## Who Orville Freeman was Secretary of Agriculture from January 21, 1961, to January 20, 1969. His tenure spanned the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.[^4][^9][^10] Johnson's remarks at the signing of the Child Nutrition Act open with the words "Secretary Freeman, Senator Ellender, Members of the Congress:". The American Presidency Project's editorial note states that "he referred to Secretary of Agriculture Orville L. Freeman."[^3][^11] Freeman's tenure also produced the permanent food stamp program. According to the USDA's program history, he announced food stamp pilot programs on February 2, 1961. He then submitted proposed legislation for a permanent program on April 17, 1963.[^12] The Food Stamp Act of 1964 was signed on August 31, 1964, as Public Law 88-525. Johnson's remarks at that signing do not name Freeman.[^12][^13] The pack does not record the party affiliation of the officials named here, and this article does not supply it. ## What Section 4 of the 1966 Act establishes the breakfast program as a pilot. The pilot assists states "through grants-in-aid and other means" to begin, continue, or enlarge nonprofit school breakfast programs.[^1][^2] Section 3 of the same Act reauthorizes the Special Milk Program. That program originated earlier, in §204(b) of the Agricultural Act of 1954 (Public Law 83-690). The Act also extended school lunch eligibility to preschool children.[^1][^3] The breakfast program's companion child-feeding programs descend from a single later section of law: - **1968.** Public Law 90-302, approved May 8, 1968, 82 Stat. 117, added §13 to the National School Lunch Act under the heading "SPECIAL FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN" ([[Special Food Service Program for Children]]). The section covered meals served through "private, nonprofit institutions or public institutions, such as child day-care centers, settlement houses, or recreation centers."[^5] - **1975.** Public Law 94-105, approved October 7, 1975, 89 Stat. 511, split §13. Section 13 became the [[Summer Food Service Program]] for Children, and a new §17 created the Child Care Food Program.[^6] - **1989.** Public Law 101-147, approved November 10, 1989, retitled §17 in its §105(a). The new heading reads "CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM" ([[Child and Adult Care Food Program]]).[^7] The Institute of Medicine's 2011 report traces the same line of descent: "In 1968, CACFP began as a small 3-year pilot program called the Special Food Service Program for Children."[^14] The USDA's own legislative-history pages for the CACFP and the SFSP now return an archived-content notice.[^15][^16] For that reason, the enactments above are cited to the [[Statutes at Large]].[^5][^6][^7] ## When - **February 2, 1961.** Freeman announces the food stamp pilot programs.[^12] - **April 17, 1963.** Freeman submits proposed legislation for a permanent food stamp program.[^12] - **August 31, 1964.** The Food Stamp Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-525) is signed.[^13] - **October 11, 1966.** The Child Nutrition Act of 1966 is approved at 6:06 p.m., creating the School Breakfast Program as a two-year pilot.[^1][^3] - **May 8, 1968.** Public Law 90-302 adds §13 to the National School Lunch Act.[^5] - **October 7, 1975.** Public Law 94-105 splits §13 into the Summer Food Service Program and the Child Care Food Program.[^6] - **November 10, 1989.** Public Law 101-147 §105(a) renames §17 the Child and Adult Care Food Program.[^7] ## How much - **Breakfast pilot.** The at-issue record states a first-year ceiling of $7.5 million for the breakfast pilot.[^8] The pack's quoted passages from the 1966 statute establish the §4 pilot but do not quote a dollar figure. The ceiling therefore rests on the at-issue record alone.[^1][^8] - **Section 13.** For the 1968 food service program, Public Law 90-302 authorized "$32,000,000 for each of the three fiscal years ending June 30, 1969, June 30, 1970, and June 30, 1971."[^5] - **Later fraud figure.** The at-issue record states a later fraud figure of $250 million against the program's "statutory siblings." It describes that figure as thirty-three times the breakfast program's first-year authorization.[^8] ## In the at-issue record Row [[At issue 085 - The Child Nutrition Act of 1966 created the]] appears twice in the pack, as AI-085 and as AI-Hennepin-085 in the Hennepin package. It makes three statements: - The 1966 Act created the breakfast program as a two-year pilot with a $7.5 million first-year ceiling. - Fraud against the program's statutory siblings sixty years later ran to $250 million. - That total equals thirty-three times the program's entire first-year authorization.[^8] The row cites a March 2025 White House presidential action as its anchor.[^8] It lists two sources, of the kinds "court" and "statute," on govinfo.gov and justice.gov. However, it carries no filed court document, docket, status or statute page for either figure. The pack contains no case row identifying the programs, parties, docket or disposition behind the $250 million figure. The record shows the pilot's creation under §4 and its 1966 enactment date.[^1] It does not establish the $7.5 million ceiling, the $250 million figure, or the relation between the two beyond the at-issue row's own statement.[^8] ## Notes [^1]: United States Congress, *Child Nutrition Act of 1966*, Public Law 89-642, 80 Stat. 885 (approved October 11, 1966, 6:06 p.m.) — establishes the §4 breakfast pilot, the §3 Special Milk Program reauthorization and the preschool lunch eligibility. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-80/pdf/STATUTE-80-Pg885.pdf [^2]: Social Security Administration, *Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (P.L. 89-642), compiled text* — the codified text of the Act, including §4. https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/comp2/F089-642.html [^3]: American Presidency Project, *Remarks at the Signing of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966* (October 11, 1966) — Johnson's statement of purpose, his opening address to Freeman and Ellender, and the editorial note identifying Freeman. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-the-signing-the-child-nutrition-act-1966 [^4]: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum (NARA), *Officials of the Kennedy Administration* — Freeman's dates as Secretary of Agriculture (January 21, 1961 – January 20, 1969). https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/life-of-john-f-kennedy/fast-facts-john-f-kennedy/officials-of-the-kennedy-administration [^5]: United States Congress, *Public Law 90-302*, 82 Stat. 117 (approved May 8, 1968) — adds National School Lunch Act §13, "SPECIAL FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN," with its authorization and eligible institutions. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-82/pdf/STATUTE-82-Pg117.pdf [^6]: United States Congress, *Public Law 94-105*, 89 Stat. 511 (approved October 7, 1975) — splits §13 into the Summer Food Service Program for Children and creates §17, the Child Care Food Program. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-89/pdf/STATUTE-89-Pg511.pdf [^7]: United States Congress, *Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 1989*, Public Law 101-147 (approved November 10, 1989) — §105(a) retitles §17 "CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM." https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-103/pdf/STATUTE-103-Pg877.pdf [^8]: The White House, *Protecting America's Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse* (March 2025) — the anchor URL of at-issue row AI-085. The pack does not quote this document, and it is not shown to state the $7.5 million or $250 million figures. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/protecting-americas-bank-account-against-fraud-waste-and-abuse/ [^9]: Miller Center, *Orville Freeman (1961) – Secretary of Agriculture* (Kennedy administration) — Freeman's tenure years. https://millercenter.org/president/kennedy/essays/freeman-1961-orville-secretary-of-agriculture [^10]: Miller Center, *Orville Freeman (1963) – Secretary of Agriculture* (Johnson administration) — Freeman's tenure years. https://millercenter.org/president/lbjohnson/essays/freeman-1963-secretary-of-agriculture [^11]: LBJ Presidential Library, *Remarks at the Signing of the Child Nutrition Act* (October 11, 1966) — the library's copy of the signing remarks. https://www.lbjlibrary.org/object/text/remarks-signing-child-nutrition-act-10-11-1966 [^12]: U.S. Department of Agriculture, *A Short History of SNAP* — Freeman's February 2, 1961 announcement of food stamp pilots and his April 17, 1963 proposed legislation. https://www.fna.usda.gov/snap/history [^13]: American Presidency Project, *Remarks Upon Signing the Food Stamp Act* (August 31, 1964) — the signing of Public Law 88-525; the remarks do not name Freeman. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-upon-signing-the-food-stamp-act [^14]: Institute of Medicine, *Child and Adult Care Food Program: Aligning Dietary Guidance for All* (2011), ch. 2 — traces the CACFP's origin to the 1968 Special Food Service Program for Children. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209814/ [^15]: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, *CACFP Legislative History* — dead; now returns an archived-content notice. https://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/legislative-history [^16]: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, *SFSP Program History* — dead; now returns an archived-content notice. https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/program-history