Hunger Issues
UPDATE: Farm Bill 2007
12-14-2007
We are thrilled to report that the Farm Bill passed the Senate today in a (79-14) vote. It will now move to consideration by a conference committee, likely in January, to iron out the differences in the House and Senate versions of the bill.
As you know, the Farm Bill was caught in political gridlock in the Senate for most of the past month. The collaboration demonstrated by our Network Members in supporting our strategy, responding to calls to action, reaching out to the media and effectively communicating with Members of Congress is unprecedented. It was with this collective voice that we were instrumental in breaking the gridlock to move a bill forward that will improve the lives of the millions of men, women and children who need our help. And, it is with our collective voice that we will continue to be as influential as possible throughout the conference committee debate.
Our team is preparing a detailed update of what is included in the Senate Farm Bill. One of our top priorities—securing $250 million a year in mandatory funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)—is included in the bill. It would also strengthen the Food Stamp Program and reauthorize the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). We will distribute more information on specifics early next week.
While we have a major milestone behind us, our hard work is not over! We must maintain the incredible momentum we have generated together to ensure final passage and enactment of a strong nutrition title in the Farm Bill as soon as possible.
12-7-2007
We are thrilled to report that the U.S. Senate reached an agreement last night that should help move the Farm Bill forward.
Senate leaders struck an eleventh-hour deal on the 2007 farm bill, agreeing Thursday to debate 40 amendments before lawmakers leave for the holiday recess. It is our understanding that the number of amendments to the bill will likely be split evenly between the Democrats and Republicans, with each offering 20.
Prior to last night’s announcement, the Senate had been gridlocked over the best way to proceed with the bill due to the large number of amendments – more than 250 – that had been filed for consideration. According to Senate Agriculture Committee staff, under last night’s agreement, only amendments filed by November 14th will be considered. Some non-germane proposals may be debated, including an amendment that would change the estate tax and one that would affect how commodity markets handle energy-related derivatives.
The compromise follows almost a month of gridlock over the measure. More than 250 amendments were filed at the beginning of November. A cloture vote that had been scheduled for today prior to the deal has been postponed. While it is unclear when the Senate will take up the Farm Bill, leaders have indicated that their goal is to get the legislation passed before the holiday recess.
The National Office and network food banks across the country have worked extremely hard to put the pressure on the Senate, urging Senators to move the legislation forward as quickly as possible. Signficant media attention to the devastating impact of a further delay in the Farm Bill’s passage at both the national and local levels, visits and calls to Senators and their staffs, and thousands of letters generated through our Hunger Action Center have all played a critical key role in keeping the pressure on the Senate to get the job done. I am deeply grateful for your efforts and for the hard work of our Government Relations and Communications teams in Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Now is not the time, however, to rest on our laurels. Please continue to keep the pressure on your Senators by generating press, making phone calls and sending letters through the Hunger Action Center to keep the heat on and to help secure a the passage of a Farm Bill with a strong nutrition title before year’s end. We will continue to update you on the progress of this bill as news becomes available.
Farm Bill Background
Every five years, policymakers draft a massive piece of legislation that virtually no one — including the lawmakers themselves — can wrap their head around. This year's bill tips the scales at more than 1500 pages, with an estimated price tag of nearly $300 billion. For the next five years, this bill will go a long way toward determining what we grow, what we eat, and whose wallets and waistbands grow the widest.
The Senate returned from their two week Thanksgiving recess on December 3rd to an impending Farm Bill debate as food banks around the country are suffering from a more than 70 percent decline in support from a federal food aid program in recent years. In Vermont, USDA commodity donations fell to a five year low, and at the same time requests for food assistance are on the rise.
The Vermont Foodbank is urging our partners to contact Senators Leahy and Sanders to press for the speedy passage of the Farm Bill (H.R. 2419) currently stalled in a partisan debate on the Senate floor.
The House of Representatives passed its version of a Farm Bill in July. The House bill would provide more than $4 billion in new investment in federal nutrition programs and boost the currently sparse supply of commodities available through the nation’s charitable food distribution system. Specifically, it would raise current levels of mandatory support for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to $250 million annually and index the amount for inflation.
And while Members of Congress struggle to make tough decisions that are necessary to pass the Farm Bill, more than 66,000 Vermonters are forced to make tough choices about accessing the charitable food system to provide adequate nutrition for their families.
“We are calling on the leadership from both sides of the isle to work together to pass a Farm Bill,” said Doug O’Brien, Vermont Foodbank CEO. “Food banks in the region are struggling with perilously depleted inventories and without a Farm Bill, with a strong nutrition title, more than 200,000 northern New Englanders are at greater risk of hunger.”
