School Lunch and WIC: We Have a Bill... Lots of Bills

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Mar 18, 2010 at 00:53:43 AM PDT

• S. 3123: Growing Farm to School Programs Act of 2010, introduced by Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) with 13 cosponsors.
• S. 3124, to reduce the paperwork burden on child care sponsors and providers, introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) with 1 cosponsor.
• S. 3126, a bill to promote wellness policies by Sen. Klobuchar (D-MN) with no cosponsors.
• S. 3127 a bill to require continual updating of foods provided under WIC by Sen. Klobuchar (D-MN) with no cosponsors.
• S. 3128, a bill to make all foster children automatically eligible for free breakfast and lunch by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) with no cosponsors.
• S. 3129, a bill to change WIC so that once qualified, participants are in the program for a year before they must be re-certified by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand with no cosponsors.
• H.R. 4734 and S. 3040, a bill to improve summer meal programs by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and Sen. Lugar (R-IN) with 1 cosponsor in the House and 4 in the Senate.
• H.R. 4710: Farm to School Improvements Act of 2010 by Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) with 17 cosponsors.
• H.R.4638: The Healthy Start Act, a bill to provide $.05 in federal commodities for school breakfasts by Rep. Herseth-Sandlin (D-SD) with 10 cosponsors.
• H.R.4148: The Hunger Free Schools Act, a bill to provide direct certification for free breakfast and lunch by Rep. David Loebsack (D-IA) with 21 cosponsors.
• H.R. 3705: Expand School Meals Act, a bill to expand the number of children eligible for free school meals by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) with 47 cosponsors. (It appears that this bill makes meals free for any children who are currently eligible for reduced cost meals.)
• H.R. 4402: The Nu­tri­tious Meals for Young Chil­dren Act and S.2749, a bill to improve access to food for young children in child care by Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand with 41 cosponsors in the House and 5 in the Senate.

What will probably happen is that most of these bills will die, and components of them will be folded into whichever bill ultimately becomes law. Lincoln's bill, which I don't think she's actually introduced yet (and the text of the bill is most certainly not available from the Library of Congress yet), has a darn good chance of ultimately becoming law. More on that below.

Hey Blanche, Na Na Na Na... Na Na Na Na... Hey Hey Hey...

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Mar 01, 2010 at 20:37:26 PM PST

This means a lot to progressive Democrats as a whole because Lincoln's often the would-be 59th or 60th vote to break a filibuster, making her one of the single biggest reasons why health care reform has not passed yet. In fact, the House has passed 290 bills that the Senate has not passed so far this session, and Lincoln is one of the single biggest reasons why nothing gets done in the Senate.

But this election means something significant for food and agriculture too. As the chair of the Senate Ag Committee, Lincoln will be in charge of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization (i.e. school lunch) this year. That's not great. But if she's re-elected, she'll get to write the 2012 Farm Bill. And that will be REALLY bad.

Lincoln's beholden to cotton, rice, factory farms (particularly poultry), and Wal-Mart. If she loses in 2010, she'd likely be succeeded by Debbie Stabenow of Michigan as the new chair of the Senate Ag Committee. We'll get a significantly better Farm Bill from Stabenow than we would from Lincoln.

Fortunately, Lincoln's chances of winning are slim:

Recent polls have shown Lincoln trailing a little-known Republican field led by Rep. John Boozman and her being potentially vulnerable to a challenge from within the Democratic Party.

So what can we do to help Halter?

1. Spread the word (especially to people in Arkansas)
2. Volunteer for his campaign (phonebanking or canvassing). If you don't live in Arkansas, you might be able to phonebank for him from home.
3. Donate to his campaign, even if it's only $5. The sooner you do this, the better. I've added Halter to our Act Blue page so you can give to him through there if you'd like.

Senate Agriculture Committee will get new leader next year

by: desmoinesdem

Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 11:44:32 AM PST

Assuming Lincoln loses, either to a Democratic primary challenger or to a Republican in November, the Senate Agriculture Committee will be needing a new chair in January 2011. Currently, Democrats are expected to retain a majority in the Senate, which would put Debbie Stabenow of Michigan in line to chair the Agriculture Committee. Republicans have a slim chance at winning enough seats to take over the Senate this November. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia would be the likely new chair, since is the ranking Republican on the committee now, but it's possible that the GOP caucus could shuffle things around.

Blanche Lincoln, Senator of Wal-Mart

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 22:11:09 PM PST

A: I don't know either.

When Blanche Lincoln took over as chair of the Senate Ag Committee, one friend (who knows what he's talking about) assured me that life was pretty much the same at the Ag Committee and that Lincoln was going to do an okay job on the Child Nutrition Reauthorization. After all, Harkin can always take his chairmanship back after the 2010 election -- if Lincoln even keeps her seat! So what does Sen. Lincoln do when she's given the chance to hold a hearing on major child nutrition legislation? Here's the hearing line-up:

Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry
Full Committee Hearing Notice
To: All Committee Members

Title: Reauthorization of U.S. Child Nutrition Programs: Opportunities to Fight Hunger and Improve Child Health

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Time: 10:30 a.m.

Place: 562 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Witness List

Panel 1
The Honorable Tom Vilsack,
Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC

Panel 2

Dr. Margaret Bogle, Executive Director, Delta Obesity Prevention Research Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Little Rock, AR

Mr. Rich Huddleston, Executive Director, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, Little Rock, AR

Ms. Rhonda Sanders, Executive Director, Arkansas Hunger Alliance, Little Rock, AR

Ms. Jennifer Smith, Director, Compliance, Walmart, Bentonville, AR

As you can see, everyone's from Arkansas. And the last person to testify is from Walmart. WTF?

Lincoln looking vulnerable in 2010

by: desmoinesdem

Wed Sep 30, 2009 at 14:41:10 PM PDT

On the other hand, this poll was in the field before yesterday's Senate Finance Committee hearing on the health care bill, during which Lincoln was one of three Democrats who refused to back both public health insurance option amendments. That probably won't go over well in Arkansas, where a strong majority of voters support "creating a government-administered health insurance option that anyone can purchase to compete with private insurance plans."

Lincoln's re-election campaign will be generously financed by corporate interests; she has already pulled in a lot of money from healthcare industry. Big agribusiness will be there for her as well, and probably Wal-Mart and the Chamber of Commerce too, since Lincoln now opposes the Employee Free Choice Act (after voting for that pro-labor bill in 2007, when she knew President Bush would never sign it).

Corporate money could get Lincoln re-elected, but if the economy continues to be weak and the Democratic base is uninspired to lift a finger to help her, she could have a very tough road. MoveOn is already running ads against Lincoln.

I don't normally post here about campaigns and elections, but I thought the La Vida Locavore community would want to know that there's a very real chance the Senate Agriculture Committee will be choosing a new chair (Debbie Stabenow?) in early 2011.

Senate Prospects for 2010

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Sep 20, 2009 at 15:19:13 PM PDT

An Interview with Our Friend Blanche

by: Jill Richardson

Sat Sep 19, 2009 at 01:44:10 AM PDT

The Safest, Most Abundant Food Supply in the World

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 23:13:10 PM PDT

I will continue to fight for the hardworking farm families and rural communities who provide the safest, most abundant and affordable supply of food and fiber in the world.

This was part of a statement she released upon assuming the chair position in the Senate Ag Committee. I want to call it out because this is a phrase repeated over and over again by Big Ag shills. They constantly emphasize that we have the safest, most abundant food supply in the world. Sen. Lincoln comes from a cotton state so she remembered to include fiber as well as food.

Is our food really the safest? I'd doubt that. Safe as in what? As in not killing you immediately upon ingestion? We've got quite a food safety problem in this country. It would be pretty sad if all of the other countries were even worse than us. But how about long term safety? As in keeping you healthy and not making you sick. How about safety as in the production of the food is not harmful to your health via environmental pollution? I don't think Sen. Lincoln meant that.

As far as the claim that our food is the most abundant and affordable, that might be true. And so what? We still have hungry people in this country, even with all of that food, and we suffer on an epidemic scale of illnesses from people eating too much cheap food. None of this is the farmers' fault - the farmers I know all work their butts off and receive far too little in compensation for their efforts in my opinion - but once the farmers grow all of that food, the end result ain't so great.

New Senate Ag Chair Lincoln Gives Us Much to Cry About

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 15:41:17 PM PDT

Blanche on the climate bill:

In comments after the speech, Lincoln she said does not support the House-passed climate-change bill because it "picks winners and losers" and "places a disproportionate share of the burden" on her home state of Arkansas in particular and rural and poor America in general. Lincoln said she will not support a climate change bill in the Senate if it is similar to the House-passed bill.

Blanche on the estate tax: She calls it an "absolute disadvantage" to farm and ranch families.

Blanch on the Clean Water Act:

Moving to the environment, Lincoln said a provision in the Clean Water Restoration Act passed by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that covers "the waters of the United States" rather than "navigable" waters needs to be amended so EPA does not interpret it to cover all waters.

"We've seen in the past where the imagination can be stretched," Lincoln said. "We don't need the imagination to be stretched right now."

Blanche on free trade:

Lincoln also addressed trade, arguing that the world market for U.S. farmers "is not free or fair at this juncture." The Bush administration made concessions on agriculture in the Doha round negotiations last year even though other countries had not reciprocated, she said, adding that any further negotiations should start "with a new text." She also urged the Obama administration to push the Colombia and Panama free trade agreements and make it easier to sell U.S. products in Cuba.

With New Leadership, What WON'T Change on the Ag Committee?

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Sep 14, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM PDT

Lincoln herself faces two challenges in keeping her spot as Ag Committee Chair. First, she needs to get re-elected in 2010. Second, Harkin can actually take his chairmanship back from her if he wants. My hunch is the more likely of these two scenarios is Lincoln losing her election. I don't know why Harkin would take back his chairmanship unless a) Dodd decided to take HELP from Harkin or b) Harkin was REALLY REALLY unhappy with what Lincoln was doing on Ag. Translation: This is not a very likely scenario, but it is something that Lincoln will have in the back of her mind when negotiating with Harkin over bills considered by the committee.

At stake is the writing of the 2012 farm bill. As the chair during 2009-2010, Lincoln will get to write the Child Nutrition Reauthorization, but whoever is chair in 2012 will write the next farm bill and that's a BIG deal. I really, REALLY hope Lincoln's not in charge at that time.

The Farm Bureau Hearts Blanche Lincoln

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 16:30:06 PM PDT

For more read-it-and-weep news about Lincoln, I recommend this piece on her by Tom Laskawy. He says:

And what about Blanche Lincoln? Well, as Phil Brasher of the Des Moines Register puts it:

Lincoln is as vigorous a proponent for large farms and livestock interests (think Arkansas-based Tyson Foods) as there is in Congress. Pair her with the panel's senior Republican, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, and you have a powerful one-two punch for the southern perspective on agricultural policy.

Let's spell out what that could mean. More leniency on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). No bans on non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock. No cleanups for manure lagoons. More rice and cotton subsidies. And, by the way, Lincoln thinks limiting payments to even the largest farms is a rotten idea. Meanwhile, since the Agriculture Committee is likely to play a key role in marking up climate legislation, it's worth considering her views on that front. Here's ag reporter Chris Clayton:

Lincoln also likely is going to be more skeptical of climate legislation because it may offer little benefit for rice growers or producers of other southern crops. She was quoted in mid-August saying Congress should just focus on a renewable-energy bill and drop the cap-and-trade emissions plan.

Not only that, but Lincoln's currently facing a tough re-election race in 2010, giving her incentive to move even further to the right.

If you aren't familiar with the Farm Bureau, please watch the 60 Minutes videos I've embedded below.

Bad News: The Blanche Lincoln Rumors Are True

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 22:12:51 PM PDT

The only silver lining here is that Lincoln faces a rough 2010 re-election race, and she might lose.

Ag Committee Leadership To Go From Bad to Worse?

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Aug 27, 2009 at 15:22:52 PM PDT

Well, with the loss of Sen. Kennedy, we might be getting that shake-up, but not in a good way. Kennedy chaired the Senate's HELP committee (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions). Next in line for that post is Dodd, who already chairs Banking. If Dodd keeps his chairmanship for Banking, then the HELP chairmanship goes to Harkin. And if Harkin takes it... then there's a vacancy for Ag.

Next in line for the Ag chairmanship are Kent Conrad, Max Baucus, and Pat Leahy. However, right now Conrad's got Budget, Baucus has Finance, and Leahy has Judiciary. There's about zero chance that any of them would give up those posts in order to take Agriculture. Next in line for Ag is.... Blanche Lincoln (D-Tyson & Walmart). And that's some seriously bad news.

In addition to her conservative policy positions, here's a taste of who in the lobbying world used to work for Sen. Lincoln:

Greg Means (Alpine Group) - Managed Blanche Lincoln's 1992 House campaign

Charles Barnett (Alpine Group) - Leg Asst to Blanche Lincoln 1999-2003
Clients: 3M, BP America, Home Depot, Renewable Energy Group Inc

Kelly Bingel (Mehman Vogel Castagnetti, Inc) - Chief of Staff to Blanche Lincoln 1993-2005
Clients: Abbott Labs, America's Health Insurance Plans, American Petroleum Institute, Business Round Table, Clean Energy Fuels Corporation (a natural gas company), Merck, Proctor & Gamble, Walmart

Ben Noble (Troutman Sanders Public Affairs Group, LLC) - Policy Advisor to Blanche Lincoln 2000-2001
Clients: Agricultural Development Council, Anheuser Busch, Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority, Monsanto, National Cotton Council of America, USA Rice Federation

Who Isn't on the Senate Hunger Caucus?

by: OrangeClouds115

Fri Jul 18, 2008 at 08:00:00 AM PDT

The other chairs besides Blanche Lincoln are Dick Durbin (D-IL), Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), and Gordon Smith (R-OR).