nutrition
The farm bill is on the verge of expiring. Congress is months away from a new version.
WASHINGTON — As the deadline for Congress to pass a new farm bill looms this weekend, staff members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees say it will be months – if not longer – until they reach agreement on a new bill. Lawmakers must rewrite the sweeping farm bill every five years to set […]
Food benefits for low-income families at risk in a government shutdown, White House says
This article was updated at 4:35 p.m. Sept. 25, 2023, to add a chart of state-by-state WIC participants. WASHINGTON — As Congress barrels toward a partial government shutdown, the White House Monday warned that a program that helps millions of low-income families afford healthy food could see substantial cuts. The White House released a state-by-state […]
Report: WIC program will need more funds to sustain participation
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a report last month showing WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) needs additional funding to avoid turning away eligible families. “WIC is really important everywhere, but particularly [important] in rural communities,” Katie Bergh, senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy […]
USDA secretary battles with U.S. House Republicans over costs of federal nutrition programs
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans tussled with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Democratic committee members over work requirements in federal nutrition programs as well as spending levels for those programs at a Tuesday hearing. Republican members of the House Agriculture Committee charged Vilsack with evading bipartisan oversight in the USDA’s 2021 redesign of the Thrifty […]
Native American agricultural leaders detail farm bill priorities at U.S. Senate hearing
WASHINGTON — A roundtable of Native American agricultural leaders at a recent U.S. Senate hearing lobbied for increased sovereignty and social justice in the coming farm bill by expanding tribes’ jurisdiction over U.S. Department of Agriculture programs. It’s called “638” authority and refers to Public Law 93-638, which gives tribes the power to manage certain […]
U.S. Senate panel spars over elevated food assistance spending in upcoming farm bill
WASHINGTON – Members of the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee split along party lines Thursday as they tussled over financial accountability in farm bill nutrition programs. The main point of contention was the Department of Agriculture’s 2021 changes to the Thrifty Food Plan, one of four food plans the USDA develops to estimate […]