Keep your nutrition calls coming!!

On May 22nd, the nutrition title of the Farm Bill became law when the Senate followed the House's May 21st action in overriding President Bush's veto of H.R. 2419. After Congress returns from the Memorial Day recess in June, lawmakers will address the status of the trade title, which is not in force, and any other procedural questions, either by passing a new Farm Bill that includes the trade title or by passing a stand-alone trade title. The trade title had mistakenly been omitted from the copy of the bill sent to the President. "'Fourteen of the 15 titles in this farm bill are now the law of the land,' [Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom] Harkin said, while Agriculture ranking member Saxby Chambliss added, 'Nothing will change that.'"

Call your Members of Congress (Senators and Representatives) to thank them for the nutrition title increase in the Farm Bill and for voting to override President Bush's veto. 

Use the toll-free number (1-800-826-9624) made available by AARP to connect to the U.S. Capitol switchboard.  Share the toll-free number with your allies.

The $10.361 billion in new ten-year funding for the nutrition title provides (among other provisions):

• $7.845 billion for Food Stamp Program improvements, including:
  • The first increase in the minimum benefit in 30 years (to $14 and then indexed)
  • An increase of the standard deduction for households of 3 or fewer (to $144 and then indexed) the standard deduction for households of three or fewer
  • The removal of the cap for the dependent care deduction
  • An index to asset limits and exclusion of retirement and education savings accounts from them.
• $1.256 billion to increase and index commodity purchases for TEFAP