TEFAP Alliance Blog

February 2003

In This Issue:
• FY03 Appropriations Finalized
• FY04 Spending to be Debated
• Congressional Subcommittees Named

FY03 Appropriations Finalized
Four and a half months into the new fiscal year, Congressional appropriators finally reached agreement on funding for federal programs during fiscal year 2003, which began last October and runs through the end of September. Congress combined 11 of the 13 regular appropriations in one piece of legislation – House Joint Resolution (HJR) 2.
Under HJR2, TEFAP will receive $XX million in discretionary funding this year for storage and processing expenses (an increase/the same level as last year). TEFAP will also receive an additional $140 million in mandatory spending for commodities. A provision in the legislation gives USDA authority to transfer $XX million from the food dollars to assist with storage and processing needs. USDA hopes to finalize state allocations and distribute the funds shortly.

FY04 Spending to be Debated
The fiscal year 2004 funding process officially got underway on February 2, when President Bush submitted his budget to Congress on February 2, even though fiscal year 03 appropriations were still being decided. The Administration’s request for TEFAP would continue level funding at $50 million for storage and processing and $140 million for commodity purchases.
Overall, the White House proposed $42.9 billion for domestic nutrition assistance programs; a $1.7 billion increase over fiscal 2003. Most of the new funds will be devoted to the Food Stamp Program, as food stamp participation is expected to rise to 21.6 million people per month next year. Caseloads for the WIC Program are also expected to grow, prompting the Administration to request additional funds and a $150 million reserve account to cover unexpected increases. However, outside of food stamps and WIC, funding for most programs remains at 2003 levels.

Congressional Subcommittees Named
A new mix of legislators will be reviewing the FY04 funding requests and deciding on how much to provide. The House Agriculture and Appropriations subcommittees with jurisdiction over TEFAP were announced earlier this month.

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WASHINGTON UPDATE is published for the TEFAP Alliance by Weinberg & Vauthier Consulting, 419 West Broad Street, Suite 204, Falls Church, VA 22046; telephone: (703) 532-5700; fax: (703) 532-5780; email: zyweinberg@earthlink.net.

Washington Update
Friday, February 14, 2003

mvauthier :: Feb.14.2003 :: Washington Update :: No Comments »:: Print This Post

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