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RE: FY 2007 Budget Message: Protect Food and Nutrition Programs

1) Oppose budget cuts in nutrition and other programs that serve low-income people; and

2) Support adequate appropriations to reduce hunger in our communities

The Federal Nutrition Programs Are Well Structured and Respond to Changes in Need

• Food Stamps, School Lunch and Breakfast, Summer Food, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program are entitlement programs that respond automatically to increased (or decreased) need. They are funded to serve all eligible people who seek benefits. If an economic downturn or disaster causes more eligible people to apply, those needy people are not turned away because of limits on numbers of participants or insufficient funds. Funding for commodities through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is also an entitlement and provides critically needed support for local emergency food providers. Other key programs, like WIC, are funded as discretionary programs.

Say No to Budget and Funding Threats to Nutrition Programs

• Reject Multi-Year Caps in Key Discretionary Programs. The Administration's proposal to set binding caps on discretionary programs that do not allow for inflation or population growth will shrink programs more each year -- with a 4 percent cut in FY2007 tripling to a 13 percent cut in FY 2011. 

• Reject Another Round of Budget Reconciliation. It would exacerbate the harm to low-income families made in the FY 2006 Reconciliation Bill. The FY2006 Reconciliation bill cut $39 billion from entitlement programs. Low-income families will be hard pressed to cope with the deep cuts already made in Medicaid, student loans, child support enforcement, child care, foster care, disability assistance and other essential programs.

• Don’t Shift Costs to States, Charities and Families. With 38 million Americans living in hunger or on the edge of hunger, states, cities, food banks, religious groups and other community-based non-profits are already struggling to meet the needs. Don’t add to those burdens by federal program cuts.

Budget Messages on Food Stamps

• Support the Food Stamp Program. The Food Stamp Program is the nation’s major line of defense against hunger, providing nutrition assistance to those with very low incomes and limited resources, regardless of age. Each one dollar in federal food stamp benefits generates nearly twice that in local economic activity, thereby helping communities as well as individuals. Many families transitioning from cash assistance need food stamps to supplement their low wages.

• Oppose the Administration’s Food Stamp Cut of $656 million in five-year spending through elimination of food stamps for approximately 300,000 people in low-income working families (when the cut is fully implemented). This also would cost 40,000 needy children access to free school meals, reducing school meal spending by $50 million. Congress last year rejected this proposal to change “categorical eligibility” rules. It should reject it again. Under current federal law, states have the option to treat as categorically eligible for food stamps those families which are receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program services. Although the families may have modest savings or “gross income” that slightly exceeds the Food Stamp Program's regular rules, if the state takes this option they may receive benefits. Their net income after expenses are deducted still has to meet the regular (strict) food stamp income test, and they still must complete the food stamp application process. The President would make these families ineligible for food stamps. In addition, by eliminating their food stamp eligibility, the proposal would raise school lunch fees or keep from eligibility for free school meals many needy children in those families whose food stamp status now results in direct certification for the school meals.

Appropriations Messages

• CSFP: The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) provides USDA commodities to seniors 60 years or older and to some pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children up to 6 years old. Seniors currently comprise approximately 90 percent of participants and may participate in both the Food Stamp Program and CSFP. Participation in both CSFP and WIC is prohibited. CSFP currently operates in 32 states, the District of Columbia and two Indian Reservations. The President's proposal eliminates funding for CSFP, resulting in the loss of benefits to over 470,000 monthly participants.

  CSFP Message: Protect CSFP by ensuring that the more than half a million low-income seniors, mothers and young children who are currently enrolled in this program continue to receive the nutritious food packages that supplement their diets.

• WIC: WIC provides nutritious foods, nutrition education, and access to health care for millions of low-income pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and young children at nutritional risk.

  WIC Message: Fund WIC at $5.388 billion, estimated to fully fund WIC to serve all eligible applicants, an anticipated caseload of 8.2 million low-income women, infants and young children. Maintain the $125 million contingency fund; reject the Administration’s proposal to cap WIC grants for nutrition services at 25 percent; oppose restrictions on Medicaid adjunctive eligibility that would end benefits for eligible WIC recipients; oppose reauthorization language setting aside critical MIS funds; and oppose proposals that would cripple WIC by creating a state match for the program. Maintain the current moratorium on new WIC-only stores.

• TEFAP: The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) provides USDA commodities to states, which distribute food through local emergency food providers such as food banks, soup kitchens and food pantries. TEFAP fills gaps for those in immediate need due to insufficient benefits from federal nutrition programs or those not receiving other federal nutrition programs.

  TEFAP Message: Maintain TEFAP’s mandatory USDA commodity purchases at $140 million in addition to $60 million in administrative funding for storage and distribution.

• Community Food and Nutrition Program (CFNP): Fund CFNP at $12 million (funded through the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill, this small yet effective program is the primary Federal source of support for state and community-based anti-hunger efforts to connect low-income people with programs). In FY2006, for the first time in decades, CFNP was not funded.

  CFNP Message: Support state and local anti-hunger efforts by funding CFNP at $12 million.

• Summer Food Service Program: Expand the Simplified Summer Food Program (“Lugar pilot”) to all states (currently available in 26 states). During the school year, over 15 million children receive free or reduced-price school lunch, but fewer than 3 million have access to summer meals due to complicated paperwork and accounting requirements for program sponsors. The Simplified Summer Food Program eliminates this complicated accounting, reduces unnecessary paperwork and decreases administrative costs while providing sponsors with the full federal reimbursement.

  Summer Food Message: Expand the Simplified Summer Food Program nationwide and help ensure that hungry children have access to nutritious meals during the summer months.

• Farmers’ Market Programs: Support $20 million for the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program and $15 million for the Seniors Farmers’ Market Program.

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