TEFAP Alliance Blog

November 2002

In This Issue:
• FY03 Funded Piecemeal
• Election Outcomes Will Affect TEFAP Committees
• Drought Relief Impact Still Uncertain

FY03 Funded Piecemeal
TEFAP storage and processing funds for fiscal year 2003will continue to be distributed on a partial basis, in accordance with funding authority provided in the latest Continuing Resolution (CR). Congress is expected to complete action this week on a CR that extends funding for all government programs at fiscal year 2002 levels through January 11, 2003.
Final appropriations for fiscal 2003 may be addressed by the 108th Congress, which convenes on January 7. However, it is still unknown whether the new Congress will pass a separate appropriation for agriculture programs, continue the CR through the end of the fiscal year, or bundle individual spending bills into an omnibus reconciliation package and order spending cuts.

The allocation of TEFAP funds that are available may be adjusted, however, to reflect updated census numbers. USDA continues to parcel out fiscal year 2003 funds using updates from the 1990 census. The 2000 census information is ready, but USDA is undecided whether the new figures under the latest CR or to wait and see if the full year’s appropriation is decided and make changes then.

Election Outcomes Will Affect TEFAP Committees
The results of the November 5 mid-term elections and subsequent changes will affect the line-ups of the congressional committees that authorize and appropriate funds for TEFAP in both Houses.
In the Senate, Thad Cochran of Mississippi will become the most influential lawmaker. With the tentative decision of Indiana’s Senator Richard Lugar to chair the Foreign Relations Committee, Cochran is in line for the chairmanship of the Agriculture Committee. Current chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) will likely shift back to being the ranking member. Cochran will oversee both program and spending issues for USDA programs, since he will also chair the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.
In the House, there was a post-election shake-up with the November 12 announcement by Agriculture Committee chairman Larry Combest of Texas that he will resign from Congress next May 31 and thus will not assume the helm of the committee in the new Congress. Although the Republican leadership must make a final decision, it appears that Robert Goodlatte of Virginia will head the committee beginning in January. Goodlatte has been chair of the Nutrition Subcommitee.

Drought Relief Impact Still Uncertain
Will the availability of bonus commodities for TEFAP and schools this year be affected by USDA’s decision to use designated commodity purchase funds for drought relief? The answer to that question remains unknown. USDA officials claim that: schools will get their full commodity entitlement. The $200 million allocated in the Farm Bill for the purchase of “specialty crops” – mostly fruits and vegetables – will proceed. And all bonus buys in process before funds were shifted to drought relief will be completed, including $30 million in pork purchases. However, additional bonus purchases are on hold.
Meanwhile, the mix of regular TEFAP commodities will continue unchanged. FDD has not issued an official list of commodities available to TEFAP in fiscal 2003, but staff indicates that no items will be dropped or added from last year’s inventory.

************
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, November 15, 2002

mvauthier :: Nov.15.2002 :: Washington Update :: No Comments »:: Print This Post

Trackback this post | Feed on Comments to this post