TEFAP Alliance Blog

July 2003

In This Issue:
• Fiscal Year 2004 Appropriations Moving
• Cheese is Back!
• New Chief Installed at FDD
•
Fiscal Year 2004 Appropriations Moving
The fiscal year 2004 appropriations process is well underway, and TEFAP is one program that may face a shortage of resources once decisions are finalized, as appropriations committees must identify over $1 billion in spending cuts for agriculture next year.
On June 25, the House Appropriations Committee approved funding for nutrition assistance programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). For TEFAP, the Committee approved $190 million — $140 million for food purchases and $50 million for storage, processing, and administration, $10 million below the authorized level. However, like last year, the bill would allow USDA to transfer $10 million from the food purchase account “for costs associated with the distribution of commodities.” If implemented, the language would allow more funds for transportation, but only at the expense of food.
Congress has just returned from its Fourth of July recess and will remain in session throughout most of the month. The Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee plans to mark up its fiscal year 2004 funding bill shortly. Provisions for TEFAP in the Senate bill are expected to be similar to those in the House. Once final funding levels are approved by both chambers, differences will be reconciled in a conference committee later this summer, most likely in September.
Legislators will be home in their districts for the month of August and that may be a good time for them to view TEFAP operations. The House will recess from July 25 to September 2, while the Senate will take a slightly shorter break, from August 1 to September 1.
Cheese is Back!
For the first time in approximately 16 years, TEFAP is distributing American cheese to its clients. TEFAP, commonly known in the 1980s as the “cheese and butter program” because of the huge dairy surpluses that were given out, began to phase out cheese in 1986, as the giveaway program was successful in significantly reducing government stocks of surplus food.
In May, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) made an offering of 6.6 million pounds of cheese to the Department’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) for distribution under TEFAP. The cheese had been in storage for several years and was approaching its “best used by date.” The cheese, either sliced or in five-pound loaves, is being shipped nationwide for deliveries in June, July, and August.
FSA and FNS have been emphatic that this will be a one-time release for cheese. However, there could be more cheese in TEFAP’s future. USDA is accumulating stocks of cheese that are nearing their expiration date, in addition to stockpiling mountains of non-fat dry milk that could be converted into cheese; two factors that may lead to additional cheese being sent to TEFAP for timely distribution.
New Chief Installed at FDD
A veteran USDA employee, Cathie McCullough, has been named director of the Food Distribution Division (FDD) at USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. The FDD is the operational arm of USDA that oversees TEFAP. Ms. McCullough brings 23 years’ of experience in FSA’s Kansas City Commodity Office to her new job. During her time with FSA, Ms. McCullough helped to administer both domestic and export food donation programs. She replaces Les Johnson, who resigned as director of FDD last year.
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WASHINGTON UPDATE is published periodically 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
Monday, July 7, 2003

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