ASUCD Senate votes to eliminate their entire food budget for the 2026-27 school year
The May 7 vote came as a success for Senator Nate Little, who campaigned on reducing the student government’s catering budget
By AALIYAH ESPAÑOL-RIVAS — campus@theaggie.org
In a historic decision, the ASUCD Senate voted on May 7 to completely eliminate their food budget, which pays for catering at their weekly meetings, for the 2026-27 academic year.
The specific budget line, “Meals and Entertainment,” has been a highly debated topic amongst the table this school year. During the student government’s most-recent budget hearings, the initial amount proposed for the Senate’s food budget was $5,400 before it was decreased to $4,000. During the hearings, Senator Nate Little advocated for less student government spending and an increase in funding for basic needs units.
“I don’t think that we should be spending money on something essentially only people on the third floor [ASUCD Headquarters] are getting,” Little said during the hearings. “I think it’s great that we give out the food after [the meetings], but I would rather see the money go to The Pantry and go to people in need, especially given the current federal administration.”
At the May 7 Senate meeting, many members of the public spoke out during open comment about the Senate’s food budget. This prompted a larger conversation within the table on cutting the budget from $4,000 to $1,000, with the funds to be reallocated to The Pantry.
Isabel Soledad, a third-year international relations major, urged the table to cut their food budget, emphasizing the importance of The Pantry for students who work multiple jobs and rely on Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT).
“I rely on The Pantry for basic groceries,” Soledad said. “I’m working two part-time jobs to maintain my rent, my bills and to financially support my family back home. When EBT runs out and one has barely enough to pay rent — students like myself don’t know where their next meal is coming from. The Pantry is for students and senators alike, so I urge you to uphold your dedication to put students first and vote yes on this.”
Other students highlighted the rising costs of food on campus, including ASUCD’s own Coffee House (CoHo).
"I work in the CoHo hot kitchen,” Uduakobong Essien, a fifth-year astrophysics and history double major, said. “What we get for that every week [is] a $25 food credit card. $25 at the CoHo right now doesn’t even get you three meals of the same food that we’re making in the back.”
After open comment, Little spoke out about the student comments — calling out the table for changing their opinion on the meeting food budget.
“I feel like I’ve been pretty transparent about wanting to get this done for a while now, and you guys were opposed to it,” Little said. “Suddenly, we have a few members in the community come in and voice their opinion, and now, interestingly, it seems like everyone has changed their opinion on this. I’m glad that the students were able to do what I could not.”
He went on to urge the Senate to consider the needs of students.
“The meeting food budget can only be described as a privilege; one that exists simply because we allow it to,” Little said. “I have to ask — for those of you who no doubt are thinking I'm crazy for devoting so much effort to such a small issue — how are we meant to address the larger problems within ASUCD with the proper nuance they require? We are already among the highest compensated members of the Association. Can you really say our work is more valuable than those who work just two floors below us in the CoHo? I think you all simply became too complacent to something we shouldn't have.”
ASUCD Senator and President-elect Luis L. Garcia also commented on the matter, bringing up the idea of funds possibly going to other units and organizations.
“I do see the $1,000 [food budget] being a little bit low, but I do see the need for other places that need it more,” Garcia said. “I feel like if we’re going to have this open $3,000 for different departments in ASUCD, we should think a bit more about where exactly you want to put this money. There were commissions, committees and units that were begging for this money, that were telling us they needed this money to function. And while The Pantry is a great resource, I also acknowledge the fact that a lot of our students here also need the money, and we should also be looking into where else we can support students by putting this money toward — whether it be mental health services or student health and wellness.”
After further discussion, Little motioned to dissolve the “Meals and Entertainment” completely in the budget. The vote passed with a vote of 7 yes, 3 no, and 4 abstain. Those who voted yes include: Senators Little, Harshpartap Dhillon, Siena Dill-Cruz, Aaron Heth, Rosa Linda Martinez, Mia Oscanoa and International Student Representative Robi Castaneda. Senators Pattarin Khajornchaikul, Phoenix List and Ezra Rubin voted no. Senators Garcia, Jenna Younes, Jaliah Payne and Transfer Student Representative Imani Nur abstained.
In the 2025-26 school year, the “Meals and Entertainment” line had a budget of $7,000; the 2024-25 food budget was $8,000.
Later during the meeting, Little commented on the vote.
“I'm still at a loss that I had to even do all of this,” Little said. “It's obvious to any student that the food [budget] doesn't make sense. I tried to convince everyone in nicer ways, but that didn't really work out. I think that the food budget, the idea of it, doesn't end there. I feel like it's emblematic of the Association as a whole, and we really need to get ourselves out of our own bubble up here on the third floor and actually think about the consequences of our actions.”
Thomas Wu contributed reporting to this story.
Written By: Aaliyah Español-Rivas — campus@theaggie.org