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On May 3, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee reported out its FY2007 funding bill for the Department of Agriculture. Although details of the bill will not be public until later this week or just prior to full Committee action scheduled for next Tuesday, May 9th, highlights of some program funding have been released. For more information, check the Subcommittee’s highlights of the entire FY 2007 bill.

The Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee is not expected to take up its bill until after the Memorial Day recess (after the House passes its version). Note: FRAC staff have gathered the following information based on conversations with appropriations staff who have been able only to quickly view the only copy of the subcommittee document. No paper has been distributed by the Subcommittee.

In general, the Administration’s proposal to eliminate CSFP and harmful proposals to WIC are not in the subcommittee bill. That is positive. On the other hand, additional funding was not provided to expand the Simplified Summer Food Program (“Lugar Pilots”). Advocates will need to re-double efforts in the Senate, where the program has more enthusiastic support.

• Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP): In a resounding victory for anti-hunger advocates, the Subcommittee rejected the Administration’s proposal to eliminate funding for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) and provided $118.289 million for the program. Only in FY2003 did the House provide a higher funding level for the program, at $120 million (although the final House/Senate Conference that year funded CSFP at $114.5 million). Also important to anti-hunger advocates was the inclusion of report language encouraging USDA to utilize CSFP inventory and carry-over funding from prior years and to access USDA bonus commodities to further stretch CSFP benefits.

Senate CSFP Message: Provide more than the House bill ($118.3 million) to ensure that all states approved for CSFP are able to serve eligible low-income seniors and children.

• WIC: The Subcommittee funded the WIC Program at $5.244 billion ($40 million over FY2006 and $44 million over the Administration’s request), and included $125 million in a WIC contingency reserve fund. Anti-hunger advocates had been pushing for $5.38 billion to support an anticipated WIC monthly caseload of 8.2 million participants. The Subcommittee appears to have justified a funding level of $5.244 billion based upon recent Administration estimates that lower the amount needed to adequately fund WIC because of stable food prices and slower than anticipated caseload growth. The Subcommittee included important language that would monitor WIC caseloads and food prices to allow for funding adjustments throughout the coming months as the bill proceeds through Congress. The bill also includes $15 million for continuing the breastfeeding peer counselor program. The Subcommittee rejected the Administration’s harmful proposals to cap WIC grants for nutrition services at 25 percent and restrict Medicaid adjunctive eligibility for WIC recipients at 250 percent of poverty. If funding is available, the Subcommittee bill allows $20 million to be spent on WIC Management Information Systems (MIS) for computer support. The subcommittee did not include language that was in the FY2006 bill that placed a moratorium on new WIC-only stores. NOTE: Based upon the limited information currently available, it cannot be determined if the Subcommittee’s WIC funding level of $5.244 billion is adequate to support an average monthly caseload of 8.2 million participants in addition to critical WIC program supports such as breastfeeding promotion, infrastructure and research. As more information becomes available, we will share it.

Senate WIC Message: Ensure WIC funding to adequately support an average monthly WIC caseload of 8.2 million participants. Urge Senators to monitor WIC participation and costs to ensure that this caseload is fully supported with all WIC benefits and services.

• Food Stamps: The Food Stamp Program was funded at $37.9 billion, a level that is $2.8 billion below FY2006. The Subcommittee justified a reduction in funding based upon Administration estimates that food stamp participation is estimated to decrease by approximately 1.1 million participants in FY2007 compared to FY2006, apparently related at least in part to high Disaster Food Stamp Program use after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. A $3 billion reserve fund was also included in the bill. The subcommittee continued to exclude special combat pay for military personnel when determining Food Stamp eligibility.

• Child Nutrition Programs: School Meals, Summer Food, the Child and Adult Care Food, and other Child Nutrition (mandatory) programs were funded at $13.3 billion, $685 million above last year and $300 million below the Administration’s request.  The Administration had included a Child Nutrition Program contingency reserve fund at $300 million, which the Subcommittee did not adopt.

• TEFAP: TEFAP’s mandatory commodity purchases were kept intact at $140 million and discretionary funding for administrative costs for storage and distribution were continued from FY2006 at $50 million, with the ability to transfer an additional $10 million from mandatory commodity funds to administration. Urge Senate support for this provision.

• Farmers’ Market Programs :  As in FY2006, the Subcommittee funded the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program at $20 million and the Seniors Farmers’ Market Program at $15 million. Urge Senate support for this provision.

• Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Pilots: The Subcommittee included language to expand the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program to all States and Indian reservations. Urge Senate support for additional pilots.

For more information, contact Ellen Teller, 202/986-2200, x3013, eteller@frac.org or Iris Chavez, x3017, ichavez@frac.org.

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