House panel votes to expand child nutrition programs
More children would be eligible for free school meals and the WIC program would cover children up to age 6 under legislation approved on a party-line vote by the House Education and Labor Committee on Wednesday. While the bill’s Democratic sponsors claimed it will reduce child hunger, Republican Rep. Lisa McClain said it “is chock-full of new spending” when austerity is needed to dampen high inflation.
Ahead of White House hunger conference, groups argue for equity and a stronger safety net
More than 50 years ago, the Nixon administration convened a conference on food, nutrition, and health that set the course for America’s anti-hunger efforts in the coming decades. Now, as the Biden administration prepares for its sequel this September, anti-hunger groups, health advocates, farm groups, and others are trying to get their priorities onto the agenda.
Broadband projects in 21 states get USDA financing
The USDA has awarded $401 million in grants and loans to 21 projects in 11 states, from Alaska to Texas, to provide residents and businesses with access to high-speed internet service, announced the Biden administration on Thursday.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Supreme Court ruling sought: Tyson Foods asked the U.S. Supreme Court to agree with its argument that because it was obliged by a Trump executive order to keep its plants open during the pandemic, it cannot be sued over unsafe working conditions. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Cover crop proposal: Under a bipartisan bill filed by two midwestern lawmakers, farmers who plant cover crops would receive a $5-an-acre subsidy on their crop insurance premiums. (Axne)
ERP deadline extended: The deadline for producers to apply for Emergency Relief Program compensation for losses from natural disasters in 2020 and 2021 was extended indefinitely. More than $4 billion has been paid out so far. (USDA)
Rural hunger: Although only 63 percent of U.S. counties are rural, nine of the 10 counties with the highest food insecurity rates in the country are in rural America, said the Map the Gap report. (Feeding America)
Votes no, attends wedding: Pennsylvania Rep. Glenn Thompson, the senior Republican on the House Agriculture Committee, attended the wedding of his gay son three days after voting against a bill to codify federal protections for same-sex marriage. (NBC News)
