In this issue:
Government Action Paralyzed by Debt Limit Dilemma
SNAP Shots
School Food News & Notes
Nutrition Trends and Troubles
Reports from the Field – Sacramento, CA
Small Bites
Foodlinks America is published 24 times a year by California Emergency Foodlink in Sacramento, CA and distributed by Weinberg & Vauthier Consulting, 122 South Main Street, No. 9, Burnet, TX 78611; Zy Weinberg and Barbara Vauthier, Editors; email: bvauthier@
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Government Action Paralyzed by Debt Limit Dilemma
Republicans and Democrats in Congress remain at odds on how to address the federal deficit of $14.3 trillion – raising the credit limit, drastically cutting spending, revising entitlement benefits, or some combination of such measures – to avoid a government default next month. President Obama has entered the negotiations personally to urge Democratic and Republican leaders to compromise, but has gotten no pledges of help thus far from either side.
House Republicans are insistent that the budget be balanced exclusively with reductions in federal spending. They will not allow passage of any measures to raise revenues, whether that be a restructuring of the tax code, an effort to close loopholes, or any other action that would bring in revenue above current levels. Furthermore, hard line conservatives want to take fiscal controls to the next level with a constitutional amendment to slash appropriations, cap future spending, and mandate a balance budget.
Democratic leaders have pledged to protect entitlement programs and insure that low-income people are not harmed by federal initiatives to pay back the debt. “Do not consider Social Security a piggy bank for giving tax cuts to the wealthiest people in our country,” said Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Minority Leader. “We are not going to balance the budget on the backs of America’s seniors, women, and people with disabilities,” Ms. Pelosi stated.
President Obama is advocating flexibility, both in terms of the content of a compromise agreement and the length of time it would be in effect. Obama might be willing to deal on Medicare, Medicaid, and other basic programs that fellow Democrats want to protect. “I’m prepared to take significant heat from my party to get something done,” Obama said recently. “And I expect the other side should be willing to do the same thing. But unless,” the President added, “Republicans are willing to make the same ideological concession on taxes, I do not see a path to a deal.”
The President wants at least a mid-range solution to the debt problem that will carry the economy and the debt limit through the end of calendar year 2012. A deal is only “going to get harder” as the 2012 election approaches, Mr. Obama noted. “So we might as well do it now. Pull off the Band-Aid. Eat our peas. If not now, when?”
SNAP Shots
Participation still rising: Nationwide participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rose for the 30th consecutive month in April 2011, as 44,647,861 people received benefits. The total was 60,586 people higher than March 2011, one of the smallest monthly increases over the past two-and-one-half years, but an increase nonetheless.
Most states experienced caseload growth between March 2011 and April 2011. Over the year between April 2010 and April 2011 states with the largest percentage growth were: New Jersey, 22.7 percent; New Mexico, 21.2 percent; Maryland, 21.2 percent; Nevada, 19.9 percent; Delaware, 19.4 percent; Minnesota, 18.8 percent; Florida, 18.3 percent; North Carolina, 17.7 percent; Idaho, 16.7 percent; and Hawaii, 15.4 percent.
Non-citizen eligibility detailed: Although SNAP eligibility has never been extended to undocumented non-citizens, some non-citizens may be eligible for benefits if they meet certain immigration status requirements in addition to income and resource tests. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a “Guidance on Non-Citizen Eligibility” in order “to help simplify and clarify SNAP policy on non-citizen eligibility,” especially as it affects children. The 62-page Guidance may be found at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/
Ex-felons may get benefits: In the past, persons convicted of a felony were banned from food stamps for life. Not necessarily so today. Federal encouragement to aid re-entry into society for convicted felons has resulted in most states eliminating or modifying the ban. Learn more from the Re-entry Myth Buster! at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/
School Food News & Notes
Guidance released on wellness policy updates: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a July 8, 2011 memorandum providing information on the new requirements for wellness policies that local education agencies must incorporate into their school year 2011-2012 plans. Wellness policies can help improve student health and prevent and reduce childhood obesity.
The memo covers key elements of local wellness policy; local discretion; and public involvement; along with implementation, periodic assessment, and public updates. For additional information, go to: http://www.fns.usda.gov/
Indirect costs reviewed: The 2010 Child Nutrition Act reauthorization revised requirements on indirect costs for schools in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. A July 7, 2011 memorandum from USDA provides definitions of both direct and indirect costs and federal cost principles. How a district’s general fund recovers indirect costs from the school food service account is also explained. For details, locate: http://www.fns.usda.
Full use of federal funds: USDA published a final rule in the June 29, 2011 Federal Register mandating that federal child nutrition funds be used to administer programs and stipulatimg that federal funds cannot be subject to state budget restrictions or limitations. The rule may be reviewed at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/
Nutrition Trends and Troubles
Latinos fear WIC budget cuts: Potential cuts in federal funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC Program) are particularly worrisome for low-income Hispanics across the U.S. Although half of all infants born in the U.S. participate in WIC, the percentage is considerably higher among Latino infants – nearly 90 percent receive program benefits. A fiscal year 2012 budget passed by the Republican majority in the House would reduce WIC funding by $685 million next year resulting in hundreds of thousands of potentially eligible WIC mothers and children going unserved.
Industry seeks voluntary marketing rules: Ever since the federal government issued voluntary guidelines for foods marketed to children in May, food and advertising companies have been actively working to undermine them. The guidelines, jointly issued by the Federal Trade Commission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), call for reduced salt and less added sugars and fats in foods and drinks targeted to children. The current guidelines are voluntary practices, not regulations. Even though companies are not required to meet them and government agencies have no way to enforce them, industry has challenged guidelines aggressively, saying they would limit advertising and “free speech.”
Deep pockets needed to raise a child: A middle-income American family will spend $226,920 ($286,860 if projected inflation is added in) to provide food, shelter, and other necessities to raise a child born in 2010 over the next 17 years. That amount represents a two percent increase over 2009. Child rearing expenses for transportation, childcare, education, and health care all saw significant increases over last year. USDA has been tracking the cost of raising a child for 50 years. Learn more at: http://www.usda.gov/wps/
Hot dry weather to continue: Triple-digit temperatures and an extended drought are plaguing the Midwest, South, and Southwestern parts of the country this year as summer gets underway. It’s been 100 degrees or higher in Oklahoma City every day since June 29. And Oklahoma has had only 28 percent of its normal summer rainfall. Texas, where the drought has been the worst, is sizzling and shriveling; all 254 counties have been declared a disaster area. It’s been 100 degrees plus in Dallas for over 10 days. Although some past years have been hotter, Dust Bowl days are being recalled.
But the weather patterns have even broader implications for society. In part due to the recession, which has closed beaches, parks, and swimming pools, children are turning to more indoor, usually more sedentary activities. The severe heat means children are being drawn to movies, game arcades, and videos rather than baseball diamonds and soccer fields this season.
Prices are rising: Here’s a news flash! Food prices are going up, notes USDA in its June 2011 Outlook Report. The Department’s Economic Research Service (ERS) does not even need full sentences to explain “the large and rapid increase in agricultural prices during the past year.” Keywords on the cover page capture it all: “Agricultural prices, food commodity prices, prices, supply, demand, global supply, global demand, food inflation, food security, energy prices, biofuel, dollar depreciation, ERS, USDA.” Meats and dairy prices have increased five to eight percent in the past three years and are predicted to keep rising. Increasing shares of important world crops like cassava, corn, sugar, and palm oil are being diverted to biofuels. Higher gas prices also increase the cost of procuring household food.
Reports from the Field – Sacramento, CA
California may lead the nation in a lot of things, but participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is not one of them. SNAP used to be known as “food stamps;” but now the official program name within the Golden State is “CalFresh.” But no matter what you call it, getting through the bureaucratic maze still takes considerable time and perseverance, as reporter Hugh Biggar described in this edited version of an article from the June 30, 2011 issue of the Sacramento News & Review:
One day last month, Monica Turner received a notice in the mail that tested her usually upbeat personality. Out of work since October and supporting two children, she was about to be evicted. Unsure what to do next, and with the end of the month rapidly approaching, Turner reluctantly turned to two sources for help. For the rent, her parents agreed to lend a hand. For food and other basic needs, Turner, like 192,000 others in Sacramento County, turned to public assistance known as CalFresh, or food stamps.
Turner paid her rent and wasn’t kicked out. But for food and necessities, she entered a bureaucratic labyrinth, one from which she has yet to emerge. It’s truly a maze, but those who stick it out win a prize of roughly $4.50 per person, or about $31 a week, or $325 monthly for a household. But Turner was hindered by the food stamp process’s web of appointments and paperwork. Many Californians give up or don’t bother. As a result, the state leaves $4.9 billion in benefits on the table each year, money that could juice the economy by $8.7 billion in related activity. Here in Sacramento County, this means $57.5 million in untouched benefits and $103 million in lost economic impact.
At the moment, California faces some embarrassing statistics. Despite need, the state ranks next to last nationally in food-stamp participation. Less than half of those eligible in California enroll, compared to a national average of 75 percent. Numbers are stronger in Sacramento County, which ranks fourth among California counties. In contrast, 90 percent of those eligible in Oregon take part. Applications for CalFresh in Sacramento County have jumped from 59,326 in 2008 to 80,765 in 2010. Sacramento County also currently has 84,429 CalFresh cases for a staff of 208.
The dismal participation rates and lack of access to good nutrition also come with long-term social consequences, affecting such things as school performance, life span and susceptibility to diseases, and even obesity. Instead of food stamps, residents look to fast food and high-sugar, high-calorie eats. In Sacramento County, for instance, 61 percent of adults are classified as obese.
CalFresh is an obstacle course requiring stamina and will, one with a paper trail that only half bother to complete. Take the case of Monica Turner. Formerly a phlebotomist, Turner lost her job at Kaiser Permanente last fall. She then relied on financial aid from her classes at Sacramento City College to help support her 12-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son. But by May, with the onset of summer and the end of classes, that aid was set to expire.
“I didn’t know what to do,” said Turner, 40. “I looked everywhere, even food-service jobs, but nothing turned up. I have worked and paid taxes since 1994 and hadn’t considered food stamps before, because I figured people that needed it were worse off than me, but by then I didn’t have any choice.” The last week in May, Turner visited Sacramento County’s social-services office a block from her home in Midtown. There, she learned she in fact had to go to a different office in north Sacramento, a considerable distance for her since she didn’t have a car.
After initial appointments – filling out multiple documents, undergoing a face-to-face interview with a caseworker, traveling to her daughter’s middle school to have forms signed – she also had to be fingerprinted, a requirement in California and just two other states. After borrowing a car to drive to the north Sacramento county office for fingerprinting, she then had to drive an hour to pick up her son at school and bring him to the office for fingerprinting, too. All adult members of households applying for CalFresh must be fingerprinted and photographed.
Her process remains unfinished. This summer, Monica has to take part in a seven-week jobs program in order to receive CalFresh, requiring more trips to north Sacramento and adding the challenge of figuring out childcare while she is there.
“The barriers she faces are pretty representative of the many barriers [people] face in applying for CalFresh,” [said] Edith Martinez, CalFresh outreach coordinator for the River City Food Bank. “And many don’t make it through the process because of the excessive verification requirements, difficulty attaining out-of-office appointments, complicated forms … lack of linguistically competent workers, all of which can make it a difficult process.”
This year, more changes to CalFresh system are in play and gaining momentum. Three state Assembly bills and one Senate bill are now under consideration in the Legislature, bills that address some of the significant hurdles in the way of signing up for CalFresh.
Assembly Bill 6 aims to eliminate the fingerprint-imaging requirement and switch to semiannual reporting. Critics of SNAP point to fingerprint imaging as a way of deterring fraud, particularly through selling benefits for cash, alcohol or narcotics, or through filing multiple applications in different locations. But … less than one percent of food-stamp investigations nationally are due to multiple-aid fraud. Additionally, the state auditor has determined that the fingerprinting requirement is unnecessary, though it costs the state about $17 million annually. Another bill, Assembly Bill 828, would end the lifetime ban on CalFresh for former nonviolent drug offenders.
In the meantime, the federal government is also pushing hard for California to make changes. USDA Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon stresses that changing the system is vital. “By incorporating key changes to their processes, California could reduce burdens on their staff and improve access at the same time, ultimately simplifying the program for everyone,” he explained in an email. He adds that it is essential vulnerable populations have access to a healthy diet.
In particular, Concannon highlighted several possible changes, including eliminating fingerprint imaging, converting to simplified reporting, expanding the use of telephone interviews and reducing verification requirements. Such changes would also help California slash the high costs of administrating CalFresh. (California ranks third in the amount it spends on administrative expenses). The federal government funds 50 percent of the administrative costs, with the state and counties picking up 35 and 15 percent of the remaining costs. These improvements will help feed more hungry people who could be our friends, neighbors, or co-workers in this difficult economic climate.” Concannon said.
In Sacramento, Martinez, who is on the front line of hunger daily at the River City Food Bank, also advocates for cutting down on the number of face-to-face interviews and using more phone interviews instead. Reducing the level of red tape would also help, she said. “I have seen situations where people who have applied later discover that some of their information never got put into the system. It would be also helpful if some social-service offices stayed open in the evening, say from 5 to 7 [p.m.], since an increasing number of CalFresh recipients also work.”
And for Monica Turner, all the discussions and legislation around hunger in California are more urgent and closer to home. “I need a job, but nobody is hiring, even when you know people like I do in phlebotomy,” she said. “I’ll even work for tips.”
In the meantime, she is depending on her parents and CalFresh, and hoping some work-study opportunities this summer at Sacramento City College will come through. Through a friend, she has also helped her son find a one-day-a-week job at a fast-food restaurant. Even so, the maze that is California’s safety net at a time of shrinking state budgets is still out there. Said Turner, “I am worried that when do I get my get my degree and CalFresh is up, I am going to have nowhere to go.”
Small Bites
Increasing the minimum: Increase in the real value of the minimum wage since 1990: 21 percent.
Not keeping up with the minimum: Increase in the cost of living since 1990: 67 percent.
Digital overtime: Twenty-two percent of employees say they are expected to respond to work email even when they’re not at work.
No time off: Half of all employees check work email on the weekend.
Not too sick to log on: Nearly half – 46 percent – of employees check work email on sick days.
Plugged in; tuned out: More than a third (34 percent) of employees check email while on vacation.
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