Bill Huffman
Director - Government Relations

The Friday Report

June 11, 2010

California Congressman George Miller proposes legislation to spend another $8 billion on school lunches and other food programs. The U.S. Senate defeats a bill that would have prohibited Federal EPA from enacting greenhouse gas and carbon emission rules and the Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee wins her runoff election in Arkansas.

School Lunch Legislation

In what will surely become another battle over farm subsidies and funding for school lunches and other USDA food programs surfaced this week when California Congressman George Miller, Jr. introduced legislation to spend another $8 billion on school lunches and other food programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This bill will eventually lead to a major fight between House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, a supporter of a safety net for farmers and ranchers, and Congressman Miller who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee.

The issue has already drawn Speaker Nancy Pelosi into the fray. Mrs. Pelosi is a close ally of both men. There was a meeting Wednesday in Speaker Pelosi’s office between Peterson, Miller and Pelosi to discuss the legislation. Congressman Miller has yet to come up with cuts in existing spending, required under House rules, to fund his proposed increase for those nutrition programs. Agriculture Chairman Peterson is going to guard his committee’s budget and that likely will result in a major battle between these two powerful members of Congress.

Interestingly, the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee earlier this year voted to add $4.5 billion for child nutrition with proposed funding offsets from USDA environmental and conservation programs. That bill is pending in the Senate.

In a statement about his bill, Congressman Miller said he and other Democrats want to close all gaps in food programs for poor children so that meals are available “from birth to the end of high school”.

As we’ve reported before, the development of the 2012 Farm Bill is going to be a real challenge given the large Federal deficit and now this effort to increase nutrition funding.

EPA Legislation

An effort to block Federal EPA from invoking new rules on carbon emissions and greenhouse gases was defeated this week on a 53-47 vote in the U.S. Senate. Senator Lisa Murkowski’s bill would have prohibited EPA from administratively adopting carbon emissions rules that eventually may be dealt with through a climate bill adopted by Congress. Senator Murkowski said that Federal EPA was trying to “intimidate” Congress into rushing ahead with a bad climate control bill by adopting agency rules.

The debate this week on the Murkowski legislation could cloud the Senate’s broader effort to consider energy and climate legislation this summer, perhaps deepening partisan divides as Democrats look for a handful of Republican’s to support capping and pricing carbon emissions.

Senator Lincoln Wins Run-Off Election

We are pleased to report that Senator Blanche Lincoln successfully won her run-off election Tuesday in Arkansas. She was in a major political battle with the liberal wing of the Democratic Party and labor unions who were trying to oust her by supporting Arkansas Lt. Governor Bill Halter. Mrs. Lincoln will face conservative Republican Congressman John Boozman in the general election this November.

Senator Lincoln serves as Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and is a good friend of the U.S. rice industry.