• Protect Federal Nutrition Safety Net Programs
• Restoring SNAP Benefit Boosts
• Advocacy Tools
• Budget and Appropriations
  • Federal Budget and Appropriations Process
  • Appropriations
  • President's Budget Request
  • The Budget Control Act
• Farm Bill 2012
  • Strengthening SNAP in the 2012 Farm Bill
  • Farm Bill FAQ
• Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization
  • CNR FAQ
• Legislative Successes
  • The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)
  • 2008 Farm Bill Nutrition Title
  • Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004
• Legislative Archives

Appropriations

November 18, 2011: President Obama signed 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Into Law

On Nov. 14, the Senate and House Appropriations Conferees released a first set of spending bills (being called a “minibus” rather than an “omnibus”).  It includes FY2012 funding for the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.  The bill also includes a new continuing resolution (CR) that will keep other government programs funded through December 16.

The bill provides a total of $136.6 billion for USDA programs. Nutrition program funding includes:

• SNAP/Food Stamps: $80.4 billion (FY2011 funding was $65.21 billion)
• SNAP Reserve Fund: $3 billion (FY2011 funding was $3 billion)
• Child Nutrition Programs: $18.15 billion (FY2011 funding was $17.32 billion)
• National School Lunch Program (NSLP): $10.17 billion (FY2011 funding was $9.98 billion)
• School Breakfast Program: $3.32 billion (FY2011 funding was $3.09 billion)
• Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP): $2.83 billion (FY2011 funding was $2.69 billion)
• Summer Food Service Program: $402 million (FY2011 funding was $392.68 million)
• Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program: $6.6 billion (FY2011 funding was $6.73 billion)
• Commodity Supplemental Food Program: $176.8 million (FY2011 funding was $175.7 million)
• The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Commodities: $260.25 million (FY2011 funding was $248 million)
• The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Admin (storage/transportation): $48 million (FY2011 funding was $49.4 million)
• WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program: $16.5 million (FY2011 funding was $19.96 million)
• Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program: $20.6 million (same as FY2011)
• Nutrition Programs Administration: $138.5 million (FY2011 funding was $147.51 million)
• Congressional Hunger Center: $2 million (FY2011 funding was $1.27 million)
• McGovern-Dole International Food Program: $184 million (FY2011 funding was $199.5 million)
• School Breakfast Program Grants: $1 million (not authorized in FY2011)
• Farm to School: $2 million (not authorized in FY2011)
• Hunger Free Communities Grants: No funding was provided. (not funded in FY2011; FY2010 funding was $5 million)
• TEFAP Infrastructure Grants: No funding was provided. (not funded in FY2011; FY2010 funding was $6 million)

Conference Report Language

The bill has unusual provisions limiting USDA’s authority in the final rule on school meal improvement – under development by USDA and the Institute of Medicine for years and a rule required by last year’s Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (child nutrition reauthorization).  As a result, the new rule cannot contain the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations to limit potatoes and other starchy vegetables including corn and lima beans, or change the crediting requirements for tomato paste aimed at eliminating the ability to count pizza as a vegetable.  USDA will also need to abide by certain conditions in setting policy around sodium and whole grains.

Unlike the original House language, this bill does not direct USDA to stop the rulemaking process and start again.  USDA can continue to move forward with a rule for healthier school meals but they will be hampered in some respects by the restrictions placed on them by Congress.   USDA still expects to publish the school meal rules by the end of this year.

For additional information see FRAC’s school meal rules issue brief, sign-on letter (pdf) and legislative language (pdf).

The Congressional language also raises fears that Congress will interfere with the process in other important forthcoming rules, like the one on competitive foods.

The report also includes language permitting schools and local educational agencies that participate in the National School Lunch Program to donate any leftover food to eligible local food banks and charitable organizations.

Additional Resources
Full Conference Report (pdf).
Joint Explanatory Statement of the Conference Committee (pdf).
Summary of the Minibus (pdf).