Today the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee held a hearing regarding nutrition programs in the Farm Bill.  Deputy Under Secretary Stacy Dean and FNS Administrator Cindy Long were the witnesses.  A video of this hearing can be found at https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/hearings/farm-bill-2023-nutrition-programs

The hearing was overwhelmingly about SNAP, with a noticeable amount of criticism from some Committee members regarding the increase in benefits provided as a result of the update of the Thrifty Food Plan.  The key criticism was that there should have been consultation with Congress rather than a unilateral increase in benefits.

Even though school meals were not part of today's hearing, Senator Marshall (R-KS) brought up his view regarding the benefits of and need for whole milk in both the WIC and school meal programs.   Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) at 1:02:00 of the above video raises concerns about "meatless Mondays", "Vegan Fridays", and asks what FNS is doing to support meat consumption.  Condy Long pointed to USDA food purchases in support of school meal programs, and pointed out the actual menus are the choices of local school food authorities.

Regading household programs, there were several references to:

• the sufficiency of TEFAP food supplies provided to food banks, with Deputy Under Secretary Dean talking about the Secretary's support, including the use of CCC funds; and
• lessons learned from the Farmers to Family Food Box program, with Stacy talking about the provision of Reach and Resiliency Grants, and prepackaged boxes of fruits and vegetables;

                                                                                                    
   There were no questions about the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.

Please let me know if you have any questions.