Updated May 21, 2004

Memorial Day Recess Alert
Child Nutrition | Budget | TANF

The House and Senate are heading home for their Memorial Day recess (May 22 to June 1). Anti-hunger advocates have an opportunity to weigh-in on a series of important issues during this period, since in the past week:

• Child nutrition reauthorization legislation was moved through the Senate Agriculture Committee and
• The House passed the FY 2005 budget resolution conference report, while the Senate postponed the vote due to moderate Republican opposition.

Shortly after recess, the Senate is likely to vote on the child nutrition reauthorization bill, and may turn to the budget resolution conference report.

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Child Nutrition Reauthorization Message
to the Senate

On May 19, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed a child nutrition reauthorization bill that is similar to the House-passed bill (H.R. 3873), but contains some additional program improvements. With the current temporary program extension due to expire on June 30, the bill (which still has not been assigned a number) is expected to go to the Senate floor for a vote shortly after the Memorial Day recess. In a joint letter, FRAC and more than 20 national groups explained their support for the Senate Committee bill. Click here for more details.

Urge your Senators (Capitol Switchboard: 202/224-3121) to support and "vote yes" on the child nutrition reauthorization bill when it reaches the Senate floor.

FY 2005 Budget Passes House but Stalls in Senate

On May 19, the House of Representatives, by a vote of 216 to 213, passed the FY 2005 Budget Resolution Conference Report (S. Con. Res. 95). The report, crafted by the Republican leadership, sets out a one-year budget (rather than the five-year plans earlier passed by the House and Senate). Its allowance for billions of dollars in new tax cuts now and in future years threatens to deepen the deficit and undermine human needs programs.

S. Con. Res. 95 does not include the cuts to entitlement programs proposed in the original House budget resolution, but does slash by $3.1 billion (6.3 percent cut) funding for the "income security" portion of the budget that covers programs such as housing, child care, and nutritional assistance for women, infants and children (WIC). The agreement specifically exempts $27.7 billion in tax cuts from the bill's one-year "pay-go" rule (that rule otherwise requires that future tax cuts--not only mandatory spending increases--be "paid for" by increases in other taxes or cuts in entitlement spending, or pass the Senate with a 60-vote super-majority).

On May 20, with some moderate Republican Senators reportedly unwilling to support it, Senate leaders decided to delay Senate consideration of S. Con. Res. 95 until after the Memorial Day recess. Those Republican moderates (as identified by the AP) are: Senators Susan Collins (ME), Olympia Snowe (ME), Lincoln Chafee (RI), John McCain (AZ).

FY 2005 Budget Message

The human needs community has rallied around two budget principles:

(1) Protecting essential programs that serve needy people from cuts and

(2) Ensuring that any new tax reductions are paid for from fair and sensible revenue sources, not by placing further burdens on low- and moderate-income people.

Thank those Senators (Capitol Switchboard: 202/224-3121) who continue to hold the line against the proposed a budget agreement that does not meet the above principles.

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TANF Message

It remains uncertain if and when the Senate might resume action on a TANF reauthorization bill. Low-income advocate strategies range from support for a two-year extension of current TANF Program law, to select amendments.

Urge Senators (Capitol Switchboard: 202/224-3121) to support:

• The Lugar/Leahy anti-hunger amendment (Lugar Summer Food pilot program expansion, food donation enhancement bill (S. 85) and grant program for transporting perishable foods to food rescue organizations);
• Support adequate funding for child care and other low-income family supports;
• Oppose unrealistic increased work requirements;
• Oppose "superwaiver" proposals;
• Support ameliorating the lifetime ban on benefits to drug felons; and
• Support a minimum wage increase.
  

For more on TANF and these issues, go to web sites of the Coalition on Human Needs and the Center for Community Change.

Click here to return to FRAC's Child Nutrition Reauthorization website.

Factsheets on Child Nutrition Programs School Breakfast  |  School Lunch  |  Afterschool  |  Summer Food Women, Infants, and Children  |  Child and Adult Care Food Program

Prepared by the Food Research & Action Center, 1875 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009; 202-986-2200; www.frac.org