House Ag Approps bill would continue school meal restrictions
June 17, 2015 |06:24 PM
House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., today released a fiscal year 2016 Agriculture appropriations bill that the subcommittee is expected to consider Thursday.
The bill would continue restrictions on some changes to school meals programs under the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act.
The waivers for whole grain requirements and the stoppage of reductions in sodium are in line with requests made by the School Nutrition Association, which represents school food service directors and the companies that make school meals.
“SNA appreciates the House Appropriations Committee’s recognition of the need for flexibility under some of the most restrictive mandates on school meal programs,” an SNA spokeswoman said.
“SNA will continue to work with USDA and Congress to advocate for commonsense changes to improve the regulations and protect the financial viability of school meal programs.”
But Food Policy Action, a group run by chef Tom Collichio, Ken Cook of the Environmental Working Group and Wayne Pacelle of the Humane Society of the United States, said the restrictions, which have been in previous appropriations bills, are “just the latest attempt to gut the 2010 Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act and undo any progress we’ve made to improve the eating habits and health of school age children.”
According to a House Appropriations Committee news release, the bill totals $20.65 billion in discretionary funding, which is $175 million lower (1 percent) than the fiscal year 2015 enacted level and $1.1 billion below the president’s budget request.
“This bill prioritizes funding on programs that support the health of our rural communities, the ability of our farmers and ranchers to put safe, cost-effective food on our tables, and the advancement and reliability of drugs and medical devices that save lives,” House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., said.
“And by stopping harmful and excessive regulations, the legislation also ensures that our food, drug, and financial industries remain the best in the world — helping to keep our nation strong and prosperous.”
Including mandatory spending such as farm and nutrition programs, which are beyond the control of the appropriators, the bill provides $143.9 billion in both discretionary and mandatory funding — $3.2 billion below the president’s request and $3.8 billion below the fiscal year 2015 enacted level. Discretionary funding alone in the bill is $20.65 billion, $175 million below the fiscal year 2015 enacted level.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition commended the subcommittee for excluding the so called “GIPSA rider,” which has been included in previous years’ bills.
“For four years, the rider has been limiting USDA’s ability to enforce the Packers and Stockyards Act, protecting farmers from deceptive and retaliatory practices by meatpackers and poultry integrators,” said NSAC Policy Director Ferd Hoefner.
“We are hopeful the harmful rider will stay off the bill throughout the rest of the appropriations process.”
But Hoefner added that “sadly the draft bill re-opens the 2014 farm bill, proposing severe cuts to mandatory funding for two farm bill conservation programs — the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.”
“CSP is cut by 2.6 million acres (26 percent) while EQIP is cut by $300 million (18 percent),” he said. “We vehemently oppose these cuts to the 2014 farm bill and will work to eliminate them from the final appropriations bill. The programs are already oversubscribed by more than two to one and more cuts mean taking away the tools farmers need to solve pressing agro-environmental problems.”
Hoefner also questioned a provision that would delay the provision in the 2014 farm bill that would delay the requirement that farmers comply with conservation standards.
The provision, Hoefner said, would make compliance “two and a half years from when the farm bill became law. This is an unnecessarily long delay.”
The Alliance for a Stronger Food and Drug Administration said this week the scheduling of the Ag bill late in the appropriations process signals that it will be difficult to bring up on the House floor.
The bill would continue restrictions on some changes to school meals programs under the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act.
The waivers for whole grain requirements and the stoppage of reductions in sodium are in line with requests made by the School Nutrition Association, which represents school food service directors and the companies that make school meals.
“SNA appreciates the House Appropriations Committee’s recognition of the need for flexibility under some of the most restrictive mandates on school meal programs,” an SNA spokeswoman said.
“SNA will continue to work with USDA and Congress to advocate for commonsense changes to improve the regulations and protect the financial viability of school meal programs.”
But Food Policy Action, a group run by chef Tom Collichio, Ken Cook of the Environmental Working Group and Wayne Pacelle of the Humane Society of the United States, said the restrictions, which have been in previous appropriations bills, are “just the latest attempt to gut the 2010 Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act and undo any progress we’ve made to improve the eating habits and health of school age children.”
According to a House Appropriations Committee news release, the bill totals $20.65 billion in discretionary funding, which is $175 million lower (1 percent) than the fiscal year 2015 enacted level and $1.1 billion below the president’s budget request.
“This bill prioritizes funding on programs that support the health of our rural communities, the ability of our farmers and ranchers to put safe, cost-effective food on our tables, and the advancement and reliability of drugs and medical devices that save lives,” House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., said.
“And by stopping harmful and excessive regulations, the legislation also ensures that our food, drug, and financial industries remain the best in the world — helping to keep our nation strong and prosperous.”
Including mandatory spending such as farm and nutrition programs, which are beyond the control of the appropriators, the bill provides $143.9 billion in both discretionary and mandatory funding — $3.2 billion below the president’s request and $3.8 billion below the fiscal year 2015 enacted level. Discretionary funding alone in the bill is $20.65 billion, $175 million below the fiscal year 2015 enacted level.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition commended the subcommittee for excluding the so called “GIPSA rider,” which has been included in previous years’ bills.
“For four years, the rider has been limiting USDA’s ability to enforce the Packers and Stockyards Act, protecting farmers from deceptive and retaliatory practices by meatpackers and poultry integrators,” said NSAC Policy Director Ferd Hoefner.
“We are hopeful the harmful rider will stay off the bill throughout the rest of the appropriations process.”
But Hoefner added that “sadly the draft bill re-opens the 2014 farm bill, proposing severe cuts to mandatory funding for two farm bill conservation programs — the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.”
“CSP is cut by 2.6 million acres (26 percent) while EQIP is cut by $300 million (18 percent),” he said. “We vehemently oppose these cuts to the 2014 farm bill and will work to eliminate them from the final appropriations bill. The programs are already oversubscribed by more than two to one and more cuts mean taking away the tools farmers need to solve pressing agro-environmental problems.”
Hoefner also questioned a provision that would delay the provision in the 2014 farm bill that would delay the requirement that farmers comply with conservation standards.
The provision, Hoefner said, would make compliance “two and a half years from when the farm bill became law. This is an unnecessarily long delay.”
The Alliance for a Stronger Food and Drug Administration said this week the scheduling of the Ag bill late in the appropriations process signals that it will be difficult to bring up on the House floor.
