House Passes Ag Bill, Increases Funding for Food Programs

H.R. 2997 provides an increase in funding for several important nutrition programs that assist low-income Americans including:

• $7.5 billion to the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program. This is $681 million above the funding level for Fiscal Year 2009, and will allow an additional 700,000 low-income women and children to participate in the program, which will bring total participation to over ten million.

• $180 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), which provides nutrition assistance to low-income pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly over 60 years of age. This amount is $19.6 million above the funding provided for Fiscal Year 2009.

• $61.3 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. This amount is $7.3 billion above the amount available for Fiscal Year 2009.

H.R. 2997 also increases the funding for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which inspects our nation’s food supply. The increase in funding will allow the FSIS to hire more food safety inspectors and conduct more inspections. H.R. 2997 also includes a variety of provisions to protect the environment. The legislation increases funding for conservation programs to $980.3 million and rejects proposed funding cuts to the Wetlands Reserve Program, the Farmland Protection Program and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program.

“I am pleased that we passed this important bill,” Congressman Serrano said after the vote. “I strongly believe that this legislation helps to address some of the major issues affecting our nation. This bill will provide more Americans with access to nutritious meals. It is a step in the right direction to better protect the safety of our nation’s food supply, and it helps protect our environment.”

The measure passed by a vote of 266-160, and now moves to the Senate for further consideration.