Nutrition Program Changes in the President's Budget
FRAC News - Nutrition Program Changes in the President's FY 2007 Budget
The President's FY 2007 budget proposals fall far short of the investments required to meet the health, education and nutrition needs of America's vulnerable families, children and elderly.
In the nutrition program area, the budget takes one very positive step forward in allowing individuals and families to obtain food stamps even if they have retirement savings (a five-year $589 million program increase; about 100,000 people would be added to the program when fully implemented in FY 2008); but it takes several steps backward.
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.
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.
Lowering the spending limit for WIC's Nutrition Services and Administrative Funding will have a negative impact on the quality of WIC nutrition education and on participant access by forcing reductions in WIC clinic hours and possibly clinic closings in rural and other hard-to-serve areas.
The President's budget proposes to eliminate all funding for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).
