Roberts’ school food goals: local flexibility, spending lid
Congress should overhaul the school meals programs to allow some local flexibility in serving healthy food, said Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts, who plans to hold down the pricetag - no new spending without an offset. "Our budgetary constraints are real," Roberts said during the committee's first hearing on reauthorization of child-nutrition programs costing $22 billion a year. The chairman said he intended to have a new law in place before the Sept. 30 expiration of the current programs, a fairly tight schedule to move legislation through both chambers of Congress and to the White House, with time out for the summer recess.
“Their real end game is to kill crop insurance,” says Conaway
House Agriculture chairman Mike Conaway says that calls to reduce the cost of crop insurance are billed as reform, "but we know the real end game is to kill crop insurance."
US proposes 15 steps against “pirate fishing”
The White House unveiled 15 recommendations against so-called pirate fishing - seafood fraud and the illegal, unreported and unregulated catch of fish - as a way to protect fishery stocks and bolster the income of legal harvesters.
U.S. relaxes trade regulations with Cuba, may aid ag exports
The Obama administration relaxed trade rules with Cuba, changes that were promised when President Obama announced normalization of relations on Dec 17. The Treasury and Commerce departments published regulations in the Federal Register to facilitate trade. "These changes will immediately enable the American people to provide more resources to empower the Cuban population to become less dependent upon the state-driven economy, and help facilitate our growing relationship with the Cuban people," said the White House.
New White House nutrition advisor must be ready to rumble
With the departure of nutrition policy advisor Sam Kass, who also was personal chef for the Obama family, the administration "is set to lose its behind-the-scenes food policy general at the end of the month, right as a Republican Congress plans an assault...
Co-founder of FoodCorps will lead Let’s Move! initiative
The White House named Debra Eschmeyer, co-founder of FoodCorps, as the new executive director of the Let's Move! initiative of First Lady Michelle Obama against childhood obesity.
Nutrition advisor Sam Kass leaving White House-Report
Sam Kass, nutrition policy advisor at the White House and executive director of the Let's Move! initiative against childhood obesity, is leaving the White House, says the Wall Street Journal.
Petition drive is launched for national food policy
Along with an essay in the Washington Post, backers of a national food policy are running a petition campaign on the Internet that calls on President Barack Obama to issue an executive order spelling out a policy. The Union of Concerned Scientists, host of a petition site, says a national policy "will transform our food system to ensure healthy, sustainably grown food for all."
Include farm workers in immigration order, Obama is asked
The Congressional Progressive Caucus urged President Barack Obama to "act swiftly and comprehensively" through an executive order that would allow undocumented aliens to stay in the country.
Senate confirms Mensah to run USDA rural development wing
The Senate confirmed Lisa Mensah as agriculture undersecretary for rural development. Mensah was among a dozen administration nominees confirmed on a voice vote on Thursday afternoon.
Needed: A US food policy, not just a farm policy, says op-ed
In the State of the Union address in January, President Barack Obama "should announce an executive order establishing a national policy for food, health and well-being," write Mark Bittman, Michael Pollan, Richardo Salvador and Olivier De Schutter in an essay in the Washington Post.
White House undecided if farm workers in immigration order
President Barack Obama could announce as soon as next week an overhaul of the immigration system that would protect up to 5 million people from deportation and provide work permits to many of them, said the New York Times, citing administration officials.
Documents show White House role in ouster of USDA official
An email released as part of a federal court case indicates the White House had a role in the forced resignation of USDA official Shirley Sherrod in 2010, says the Associated Press.
Consumer groups press for catfish inspection
Four consumer groups and the United Food workers union asked the White House to expedite the creation of the catfish inspection program, now six years past due.
White House climate plan has action for agriculture
President Obama announced a series of U.S. steps to spur global efforts to slow climate change and to assist adaptation to it, including in food production. In a speech at the United Nations, Obama said the United States will take part in a dozen climate change partnerships being launched this week. In a fact sheet, the administration said "we continue to press the scientific and economic case for strong climate action."
House ignores veto threat, votes to stop clean water rule
The Republican-run House passed a bill to prevent the EPA from finalizing its "Waters of the United States" regulation, sending the bill to an uncertain future in the Senate during the brief pre-election session. "I doubt if (Majority Leader Harry) Reid is going to let something like that come up," said Sen Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican. The White House, in a statement, threatened a veto if the bill reaches the president.
Sam Kass, on the spot for White House food policy
Sam Kass holds a variety of titles - White House chef, food policy advisor, executive director of the "Let's Move" initiative, says the New York Times in a profile story ahead of Kass' wedding this weekend.
Ethanol mandate is under review at White House
With 2014 nearly two-thirds over, EPA sent its proposed biofuels mandate for this year to the White House for review, said The Hill newspaper, quoting an EPA official as saying the agency's goal "is to put the RFS (Renewable Fuels Standard) program on a path that supports continued growth in renewable fuels over time."
Trump won’t have a Drumstick for Thanksgiving dinner
In a brief ceremony that mixed traditional holiday wishes with predictable humor, President Trump “pardoned” a 36-pound white-feathered tom turkey, Drumstick, from becoming a White House meal.