The weekly Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) News Digest highlights what's new on hunger, nutrition and poverty issues at FRAC, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, around the network of national, state and local anti-poverty and anti-hunger organizations, and in the media. The Digest will alert you to trends, reports, news items and resources and, when available, link you directly to them.

1. FRAC’s Hurricane Katrina Center: Most Recent Information About Nutrition Assistance for Disaster Victims
2. Press Release: USDA Announces Additional Farm Bill Forums That Will Focus on Food Stamps
3. Study: Food Programs Help Low-Income Children Maintain Normal Body Weight; Do Not Contribute to Obesity.
4. Senate Will Decide About Food Stamp Cuts by October 26
5. Letter to Congress: Church Leaders Urge Protection of Programs for Poor
6. Editorial: If Congress Cuts Food Stamps, the Most Vulnerable Will Lose Lifeline to Health
7. Editorial: Do Not Cut Off Food Stamps to Michigan Poor People
8. With Charity Food Diverted to Hurricane Victims, Food Stamp Cuts Would Hurt Even More
9. Kansas Governor Sibelius and USDA Undersecretary Bost Oppose Food Stamp Cuts
10. Disaster Might Help Convince Congress Not to Reduce Assistance to Poor
11. Majority Leader DeLay Says There Is No Fat Left to Cut in Budget
12. Op-Ed: Government Should be Big Enough to Provide Help When Needed
13. Will President Bush Seize Moment and Attack Poverty Rather Than Cut Taxes for the Rich?
14. Poverty Could Be Reduced, Experts Say
15. California Wages Stagnating, Inequality Increasing, Study Showed
16. California: Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Law Banning Sodas in State High Schools

1. FRAC’s Hurricane Katrina Center: Most Recent Information About Nutrition Assistance for Disaster Victims

("FRAC Special: Hurricane Katrina Center," Food Research and Action Center, frac.org, September 19, 2005)

The Food Research and Action Center continues to update its website with new and additional information to assist Hurricane Katrina victims, service providers, advocates, and state and local officials. FRAC’s online Hurricane Katrina Center contains summaries and links for information on best practices and rules for getting nutrition program assistance to those affected by the hurricane. The Center provides the most recent versions of Katrina-related USDA documents and press-releases. Federal, state and local officials can work with non-profit and private sector partners to maximize food stamps, school meals, and child care food, afterschool food and WIC benefits for those affected by this catastrophe, including in the areas to which they have relocated. Assuring that states and service providers make maximum use of these programs and conducting outreach to potential recipients can help provide essential support for vulnerable people. See new resources about Disaster Food Stamp Relief in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and check for upcoming updates.

2. Press Release: USDA Announces Additional Farm Bill Forums That Will Focus on Food Stamps

(“Johanns and Other USDA Officials Continue Farm Bill Listening Tour,” usda.gov, September 14, 2005)

USDA announced more Farm Bill Forums that will focus on the nutrition title of the Farm Bill and will be hosted by Food Nutrition and Consumer Services Undersecretary Eric Bost. In addition to the first two forums – on September 29 in New York City, New York, in the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House Auditorium from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (EDT) and on September 30 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, at the Little America Hotel from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (MDT), the next two forums will take place on October 6, in Oakland, California, Oakland Federal Building, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (PDT) and on October 14, in Baltimore, Maryland, Enoch Pratt Public Library, time forthcoming. The next forums Secretary Johanns will conduct this month on the Farm Bill in general are on September 14 in Salt Lake City at the Utah State Fair, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (MDT); on September 15 in Grand Island, Nebraska, at Husker Harvest Days from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (CDT); on September 20 at the Farm Science Review in London, Ohio, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EDT); on September 22 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at the State Fair from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (CDT), and on September 27, in Orlando, Florida, at the Omni Orlando Resort, in the International Ballroom, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (EDT). The public is also invited to submit comments at United States Department of Agriculture - Farm Bill Forums.

http://tinyurl.com/a6vqd

3. Study: Food Programs Help Low-Income Children Maintain Normal Body Weight; Do Not Contribute to Obesity.

(“Obesity Rate for Low Income Children Not Higher,” newsdesk.umd.edu, September 14, 2005)

A new University of Maryland study found that America’s lowest income children do not have a higher rate of obesity than higher income children. Federal food programs, such as the food stamp and national school lunch and breakfast programs, do not increase the incidence of childhood obesity in households below the poverty line. Researchers wanted to explore whether media reports that portray spreading childhood obesity as a result of too much food provided by food programs are right, since evidence of that might result in program cuts. “We wanted to find out whether there is a relationship between family income and a child’s being overweight and whether participating in federal food programs is associated with child overweight, ”said Sandra L. Hofferth, professor of family studies at Maryland, who co-authored the study. Children from the poorest families were found to benefit from the food programs. Children who eat school lunches maintain a normal body weight, whereas those who do not eat school lunches weigh less than normal. Children from families with incomes just over the poverty line – the near poor – are most at risk of being overweight, but school lunch participation was not the determining factor. “In addition to school food programs, these children in near poor or working class families may have more money to spend on food in school vending machines or the snack bar,” said Hofferth. In contrast, high-income children were less likely to be overweight, which suggests that more food expenditures most likely lead to higher quality of food rather than quantity. The study was published in the September issue of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.

http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/culture/release.cfm?ArticleID=1129 

(Note: online edition of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management is available to members of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management through J-STOR database. Subscription to J-STOR also gives access to the journal.)

4. Senate Will Decide About Food Stamp Cuts by October 26

(“Senate Sets Oct. 26 for USDA, Other Budget Cuts,” today.reuters.com, September 12, 2005)

Senate Republican leaders announced a one-month delay in drafting a package that would cut budgets for healthcare for the poor, student loans, food stamps, and pension insurance by a total $35 billion over five years. Instead of the originally scheduled September 26 th deadline, the Budget Committee would finalize the package by October 26. Opponents of food stamp program cuts say it would be foolish to trim the program at the same time that enrollment has been greatly expanded by a major disaster. Disaster food stamps have been issued to more than 500,000 victims of Hurricane Katrina.

http://tinyurl.com/ca8l3

5. Letter to Congress: Church Leaders Urge Protection of Programs for Poor

( “In Katrina's Wake, Church Leaders Urge Congress on Federal Budget, Poverty Concerns,” episcopalchurch.org, September 13, 2005)

Leaders of five denominations (the Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church, USA, United Methodist Church, and United Church of Christ) called on Congress to oppose cuts to programs serving the poor. “. . . it is clear that greater burdens on these programs such as Medicaid and the Food Stamp Program will occur," said John Johnson, domestic policy analyst of the Episcopal Church. Earlier this year, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church joined in calling the President's FY 2006 Federal Budget "unjust" and calling on Congress to reject cuts proposed to vital programs for the poor. "In light of the devastation resulting from Hurricane Katrina and new poverty numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau, Congress must reconsider our national priorities and recommit it self to the values that Americans share in standing up for the poor and disenfranchised in our country," Johnson said. Church leaders stressed that “our federal budget is a concrete expression of our shared moral values and priorities.”

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_65527_ENG_HTM.htm

6. Editorial: If Congress Cuts Food Stamps, Most Vulnerable Will Lose Lifeline to Health

(“Cuts Would Hurt the Poor,” kansascity.com, September 13, 2005)

Beulah Sehorn, a 93-year-old widow from Kansas City on a limited income, is a frugal shopper who uses food stamps to buy fruits, vegetables and meat, which allows her to stay in good health. “If Congress cuts the food-stamp program . . . the most vulnerable Americans will lose a lifeline to health,” argues this editorial in theKansas City Star. In addition to children from households below the poverty level and elderly and disabled persons who have been relying on food stamps, a surge of food stamp applicants was spurred by Hurricane Katrina victims. Yet, President Bush has proposed cutting food stamps, and some in Congress have proposed even larger cuts. “Neither proposal should pass. Congress instead should cut agricultural subsidies to wealthy producers. The elderly poor, hurricane victims and children should not be put at risk of malnutrition as the government fritters away money elsewhere.”

http://tinyurl.com/djtbe

7. Editorial: Do Not Cut Off Food Stamps to Michigan Poor People

(“Don't Cut off Food Help to 26,000 Michigan Poor,” mlive.com, September 13, 2005)

“In a post-Katrina nation, demands on both public assistance and private charity will continue to grow in intensity,” points out this editorial from the Kalamazoo Gazette. “That’s why we find it troubling that Congress, looking for places to cut the federal budget, is contemplating taking a $3 billion bite out of funding for food stamps.” Congress is considering changing eligibility requirements and thereby stripping 26,000 Michigan residents of food assistance. Particularly in view of soaring gasoline and heating costs, this loss would make the lives of the state’s poor even more desperate. While the poor of New Orleans became shockingly visible, Michigan’s poor remain largely invisible, but they are still suffering. “The rest of us may not see them struggling to put a decent roof over their heads, or skimping on heat in the winter, or trying to ignore aching teeth because there's no money to see a dentist. Whether we see it or not, they're struggling. The last thing they need is to find that their food assistance is gone.”

http://tinyurl.com/87wta

8. With Charity Food Diverted to Hurricane Victims, Food Stamp Cuts Would Hurt Even More

(“State, Advocacy Groups Fight Possible Cuts For Food Stamps,” mlive.com, September 11, 2005)

Paula Crigger, the 33-year-old mother of two young girls, receives $290 a month in food stamps to supplement her near-minimum wage income as a shift manager at a fast food restaurant. If Congress cuts food stamps, she will be one of the 26,000 Michigan residents who will lose that much-needed assistance. Michigan Department of Human Services Director Marianne Udow and advocacy groups have vowed to fight the cuts – they are concerned about the strain the cuts would place on food charities that are helping victims of Hurricane Katrina. Jane Marshall of the Food Bank Council of Michigan said, "We're pretty sure we're going to have less available in our state because we have to divert it to the South." The number of Michigan food stamp recipients has gone up from nearly 603,000 per month in 2000 to more than 1 million people in July, according to a report by the Center for Civil Justice. "They've got many expenses – housing costs are going up, energy costs are going up," Udow said. "These are people who are literally going to be making a choice in terms of how they spend their money between housing, heat and food. Those are all basic necessities."

http://tinyurl.com/8q7mn

9. Kansas Governor Sibelius and USDA Undersecretary Bost Oppose Food Stamp Cuts

(“Federal And State Officials Oppose Proposed Food Stamp Reductions,” ljworld.com, September 9, 2005)

U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Eric Bost – who traveled to Kansas to give state officials $861,132 for improvements in the accuracy and efficiency of the food stamp program – said, about the food stamp program, “We don’t believe it should be reduced, and we have said so to both houses of Congress.” The Undersecretary pointed out that, of the 25 million Americans who receive food stamps, half were children, and the vast majority of adults were low-income workers. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius urged Congress to reject food stamp cuts and said that in Kansas the program helps both people who need food and farmers who need to sell their products. For about 175,000 food stamp recipients in the state, cuts would mean, in Sebelius’ words, “fewer farm products would be bought, and fewer people would be fed.” “I can’t imagine a worse time” to consider cuts, the governor said. The Kansas Rural Center, National Catholic Rural Life Conference, Mennonite Central Committee Central States, and other advocacy groups are also pressing Congress to spare food stamp funding from reductions.

http://tinyurl.com/c6cow

10. Disaster Might Help Convince Congress Not to Reduce Assistance to Poor

(“Hurricane May Help Advocates Protect Medicaid, Food Stamps From Planned Cuts,” mlive.com, September 10, 2005)

A coalition of Michigan anti-poverty groups urged lawmakers not to allow the proposed food stamp cuts. The antihunger advocates say that the Katrina disaster has shown how essential safety-net programs – such as food stamps and Medicaid. "As we look at dealing with a disaster like Katrina, we see people fleeing to all parts of the country who have no income and no food," said Terri Stangl of the Center for Civil Justice in Saginaw. "This is a bad time to be looking at cuts when we see that this kind of program can make a huge difference." The advocates hope that refugees in camps across the country will be their allies in the battle to preserve – if not increase – funding for social programs. "Now there is a human face on poverty that people can relate to," said Marianne Udow, director of the Michigan Department of Human Services. "The priorities in the budget that the president proposed and Congress is considering are not aligned with helping those most in need."

http://tinyurl.com/an4tk

11. Majority Leader DeLay Says There Is No Fat Left to Cut in Budget

(“DeLay Declares 'Victory' in War on Budget Fat,” wpherald.com, September 14, 2005)

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said that there is no fat left to cut in the federal budget and the government is running at peak efficiency, because the Republican Congress has been so efficient. While other Republicans in the House and spokespeople for conservative advocacy groups disagreed, Rep. DeLay said that earmarks they criticize are “important infrastructure” and that Congress should borrow to pay for hurricane relief rather than attack the spending. He said that the “ongoing process” of the 11-year old budget-paring by the Republican majority will be more complete after this year's budget process, which puts Medicaid and other entitlement programs on the chopping block.

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20050914-101617-3503r

http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_primecuts (CAGW’s Prime Cuts 2005 recommendations by Citizens Against Government Waste)

12. Op-Ed: Government Should be Big Enough to Provide Help When Needed

(“Katrina Illustrates Folly of Starving Uncle Sam,” suntimes.com, September 10, 2005)

If something positive is to emerge from Katrina’s wake, the disaster must claim one more victim – a “pernicious philosophy” that “government, as an institution, is the enemy” and that drives wedges between segments of society, writes Ralth Martire in the Chicago Sun-Times. Some think that big government is bad government and want to “starve the beast.” Millions of those who desperately need help after the hurricane would hardly agree: “To the contrary, evacuees' main complaint is government isn't quite big enough.” It is not the size in the abstract, but the function of the government that matters. The capacity to “deliver needed services and perform essential functions” and be competent in counteracting societal ills requires government to act. However, while America’s poverty is growing, and wages of 80 percent of its workers are declining, Congress is planning a “starving-the-beast” measure: to cut food stamps, housing, and other assistance for poor families.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/martire/cst-edt-mart10.html

13. Will President Bush Seize Moment and Attack Poverty Rather Than Cut Taxes for the Rich?

(“The Other America,” msnbc.com, September 10, 2005)

In this Newsweek piece Jonathan Alterwrites that Katrina may offer a chance to make Washington think harder about why parts of the country seem like the Third World. While, over the past four decades, Social Security has eliminated most poverty among the elderly and food stamps mostly have eliminated severe hunger, poverty in America has gotten worse for three years in a row. The primary economic problem is not lack of jobs, but low wages for workers of all races: “For the poor, the idea of low-wage jobs’ covering the basic expenses of living has become a cruel joke.” Another problem is racism. Yet leaders in Congress give priority to estate tax repeal and are set to slash food stamps by billions, yet keep subsidies to wealthy farmers intact. Katrina could change these politics, which is not good news for those who want to reduce the government to the point where it can be, in Grover Norquist’s words, “strangled in the bathtub.” Katrina also gives President Bush an “only-Nixon-could-go-to-China” opportunity to seize the moment and undertake a correction that might change the lives of millions of poor people.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9287641/

14. Poverty Could Be Reduced, Experts Say

(”Let Katrina Revive the War on Poverty,” csmonitor.com, September 12, 2005)

Hurricane Katrina “could be a teachable moment” on the issue of poverty, says Michael Zweig of the Center for Study of Working Class Life at the State University of New York. There are measures that could be taken to shrink poverty, and it is “very doable,” says Larry Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute. Among ideas put forward are: job-creating economic growth; national health care system; and an increase in benefits provided by the Earned Income Tax Credit and unemployment insurance. Sheldon Danziger, an expert at the University of Michigan, points out that " America has never been wealthier" (current per capita income is about twice the amount in the early 1970’s) and yet America's 37 million poor "still have difficulty earning enough to support their families." "We can't let things go the way they are," Zweig says. "There is too much suffering."

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0912/p17s01-cogn.html

15. California Wages Stagnating, Inequality Increasing, Study Showed

(“A Growing Divide: The State of Working California 2005,” cbp.org, September 2005)

A new report published by the California Budget Project showed that the income of the typical California household stagnated in the period 2003-2004, dropping by $299 from $50,266 in 2002-2003 to $49,927. One million four hundred thousand Californians work at or near the state’s minimum wage, with the majority of these workers working full-time. In 2004, the median hourly wage rose only 0.4 percent, after adjusting for inflation. Low-wage workers at the 20th percentile earned 0.3 percent less in 2004, than in 2003, while incomes of high-wage workers at the 80th percentile rose by 2.1 percent. The California gap between the highest and lowest-wage earners has deepened and is significantly wider than that for the nation. These data are a departure from prior periods, when incomes grew and poverty decreased more substantially at this stage of economic growth. On the positive side, low-income Latino workers’ wages went up 24.9 percent from 1995 to 2004, outpacing the wage growth of white workers. Wages of women workers, black workers, and workers with a high school degree also exhibited strong gains from 2000 to 2004.

http://www.cbp.org/2005/0509_laborday.pdf (“A Growing Divide: The State of Working California 2005”, report by the California Budget Project)

16. California: Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Law Banning Sodas in State High Schools

(“Schwarzenegger Signs Ban on Sodas in High Schools,” today.reuters.com, September 15, 2005)

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation to ban sales of sodas in state high schools. The new bill is designed to help stem teen obesity. " California is facing an obesity epidemic," the governor said. "Obesity-related health problems cost us $28 billion a year. We are going to terminate obesity in California once and for all." High schools will allow milk, drinks with at least 50 percent fruit or vegetable juice, and waters without sweeteners. The new law would be phased in from 2007 and take full effect in 2009. Experts said the new law is an important step but that much more needs to be done.

http://tinyurl.com/8zfuf

For news tips, suggestions, comments, contact Olga Doty at odoty@frac.org

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