Child Nutrition and WIC Programs: Background and Funding Page: 41 of 52
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CRS-38
recommendation as to providing state WIC agencies with the flexibility to deal with
infant formula can-size issue so that recipients may receive the full authorized
amount of formula, (2) expressed concern over the delay in updating the rules
governing the content of WIC food packages and asked for quarterly reports on the
status of the updating regulations, and (3) directed the Department to clarify that
blended 100% fruit juices are eligible WIC food products and should be objectively
evaluated by state WIC agencies for inclusion on their list of approved WIC foods.
Senate Appropriations Action. On July 25, 2002, the Senate
Appropriations Committee reported its version of the FY2003 Agriculture
Department appropriations measure (S. 2801; S.Rept. 107-223). On January 23,
2003, the Senate approved its version of an omnibus FY2003 appropriations bill
(H.J.Res. 2). For the child nutrition account, the Senate-passed omnibus bill included
virtually the same amount as the Senate Appropriations Committee bill. However,
for the WIC account, less was provided because the full WIC program appropriation
was subject to an across-the-board cut in funding for discretionary programs (see the
discussion below for more detail).
The Senate committee bill appropriated $10.58 billion for the child nutrition
account, $4 million more than requested by the Administration and included in the
House bill. In doing so, it accepted the Administration's proposed changes in
funding for food safety education and the coordinated review effort (noted above).
However, in a number of relatively small funding provisions, it differed from the
Administration and the House bill - (1) it included $3.3 million for a school
breakfast startup grant program building on a Wisconsin initiative begun in FY2001
(at least $1 million was to go to Wisconsin's effort, and the remainder to at least five
additional states with low participation in the School Breakfast program); (2) it
provided $200,000 to Food Works of Vermont to fund a "Common Roots" program;
(3) it made $500,000 available for 2 years to establish a Child Nutrition Archive
Resource Center at the National Food Service Management Institute, and (4) it set
aside $3.2 million for child nutrition evaluations and studies through the FNS (from
the child nutrition account), rather than the Economic Research Service (as requested
by the Administration and included in the House bill). Separately (in the Food
Program Administration budget account), the Senate bill also provided the full $4.5
million increase in funding requested for FNS program integrity activities.
The Senate-approved omnibus FY2003 appropriations measure provided anappropriation for the child nutrition account equal to the amount appropriated in the
Senate Committee bill. However, a very small amount of this appropriation was
subject to an across-the-board cut mandated for discretionary programs. The cut
would be at least 1.6%, and some rough estimates placed the total required reduction
at 2.9%. Depending on how this directive for a discretionary program reduction was
interpreted, it could have affected between $4 million and $15 million of the total
$10.58 billion child nutrition appropriation - i.e., a cut of under $500,000.
For the WIC account, the Senate committee bill appropriated the
Administration's original request of $4.751 billion, and, in doing so, accepted the
Administration's proposals for infrastructure development and a study of WIC
vendor management. While the Senate committee's total appropriation was $25
million less than the House bill, it reduced the $150 million contingency fund to $125
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Richardson, Joe. Child Nutrition and WIC Programs: Background and Funding, report, July 24, 2003; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs3847/m1/41/?q=%22welfare%22: accessed May 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.