OFFICE OF SENATOR GEORGE MCGOVERN THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 1972. NUTRITION COMMITTEE CALLS HEARING ON FUNDING FOR THE Senator George McGovern (D-SD), Chairman of the Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, announced today that Senator Alan Cranston (D-Calif.) will chair a hearing on the funding for this year's Summer Lunch Program. Although only in its 4th year, the Summer Lunch Program is a rapidly growing and very popular program in urban areas across the Nation. Under this program, the same needy children who are eligible to receive free lunches during the school year will also receive free lunches as part of an on-going summer recreation program. Last year the Department of Agriculture urged the cities to expand their Summer Lunch Programs, and then-at the 11th hour-announced that there was not enough money to fund the programs they had promoted. All across the country, cities were caught with commitments to community groups and food providers for programs that were suddenly without funds. Congress reacted swiftly and decisively by providing the regular authorization for the program, plus the authority to spend up to $135 million to relieve the crisis of the Summer Lunch Program. Despite this Congressional mandate, the OMB held up the necessary funds until mid-July-weeks after the programs were to have begun. The situation is similar this year. Because the program was so well received last year, the cities wish to participate again. More money will be needed to operate this program for an entire summer-to include children who were left out while the funds were being withheld and, in other cases, to begin new programs for the first time. The additional $135 million that Congress made available to relieve last year's summer lunch funding crisis was never utilized for the program, thus it is still available for that purpose. Moreover, additional monies will be available under Section 32 because the import tax imposed under Phase II has generated funds neither anticipated nor committed by Congress earlier in the year. Once again at the orders of the Office of Management and Budget-USDA is refusing to feed our urban children over the summer months. As Senator Cranston states in his opening remarks: The decision not to fund this program is a moral outrage. The same Department urges higher food prices and then refuses to feed the children, whose families cannot afford them. We are witnessing Phase II of this administration's broken promises to needy children. The hearing will open with a brief film showing the programs in operation last year. The film was produced by Mr. Harvey Stevens of the ARA, Inc., a food service company. Mayor Stephen May of Rochester, N.Y., will testify on behalf of the 15,000 cities represented in the National League of Cities and Conference of Mayors. Program representatives who will also testify are Arnold Robles of Los Angeles, William Nugent of Detroit, and Steve Cohen of Boston. Mr. Edward Hekman, administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service, and Mr. Gene Dickey, chief of the Program Operations Branch for the Child Nutrition Division, will testify on behalf of the Department of Agriculture. The hearing will take place in Room 457 of the Old Senate Office Building, at 10 a.m., Friday, April 7. SUMMER LUNCH PROGRAM FUNDING FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 1972 U.S. SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON Washington, D.C. The Select Committee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to call, in room 457 of the Senate Office Building, the Honorable Alan Cranston, presiding. Present: Senators Cranston, Percy, and Bellmon. Staff members present: Nancy Amidei, professional staff; Vernon M. Goetcheus, senior minority professional staff; and Elizabeth P. Hottell, minority professional staff. Senator CRANSTON. The meeting will come to order. OPENING STATEMENT BY SENATOR CRANSTON, PRESIDING Senator CRANSTON. I would like to say, at the outset, that I regret that this public hearing of the Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs on the National Summer Lunch Program is necessary. It is necessary, however. Despite the clear desire of Congress that this vital program for the Nation's cities be properly funded and administered, it now appears that the administration, motivated solely by false budgetary considerations, is refusing to give cities all across the country the kind of support they need to feed millions of needy youngsters this summer. Last summer, the Congress faced the same kind of budget cutting by the Office of Management and Budget. Through intense pressure, Congress was finally able to force more funds to be spent on the program. Unfortunately, most programs did not get started on time, and children went without proper nutrition for several weeks. This year we hope, as a result of these hearings, that all programs will be able to commence on time and all children will be fed. The issues before us today are not complicated. Last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture finally allocated $29 million to these summer feeding programs. This year the Department is proposing to spend only $25.5 million. GREATER NEED FOR PROGRAM This cutback comes in the face of an even greater need for the program this year than last. This committee, in cooperation with the National League of Cities and Conference of Mayors, recently conducted a survey to determine the level of funds that could be "effectively utilized" by cities desiring to operate summer programs. On the basis of this survey alone, we estimate that cities could effectively utilize $52.5 million this summer-or about double what the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Agriculture are willing to commit. Private appeals have been made to get this arbitrary and unreasonable funding ceiling lifted. But these appeals have fallen on deaf ears. Their response has been "that the funds are simply not there." This, simply, is not true. And, furthermore, it is in direct contradiction to congressional intent as expressed in special legislation passed last year. Last year, in response to this budgetary argument, Congress enacted Public Law 92-32 authorizing the USDA to use as much as $135 million from section 32 for the summer lunch program. Those funds have been impounded by the Office of Management and Budget. They were never used for this program. Not only have those funds never been used; but the Section 32 fund has been increased recently by approximately $200 million more than anticipated because of the import surtax imposed by the President under phase II of his economic program. The decision not to fund this program is a moral outrage. This same Department urges higher food prices and then refuses to feed the children whose families cannot afford them. Incidentally, figures I noted this morning in the New York Times indicate that in February the cost of food climbed at an annual rate of 22.4 percent. What we seem to be witnessing is phase II of this administration's broken promises to needy children. Clearly, the money is there to feed our children. Clearly, cities all across the country are ready, willing, and able to use that money effectively. And, clearly, there can be no excuse for the administration and the Office of Management and Budget to continue to impound that money. The effect of that impoundment will be testified to, this morning, by Mayor Stephen May of Rochester, N.Y., speaking on behalf of the Conference of Mayors and the League of Cities, as well as by representatives of Los Angeles, Detroit, and Boston-cities all being badly hurt by the impoundment. Before we proceed with the film, Senator Percy, do you have any opening statement? STATEMENT BY SENATOR PERCY Senator PERCY. I have no prepared statement, Mr. Chairman. I would like to say, first, that as you probably know today is World Heart Day, and I am scheduled to be on the floor in another 5 minutes with Senator Kennedy in connection with the National Blood Bank Act. We are voting at 10:30, so we will be interrupted somewhat this morning. I regret I will not see the film, but I would like to say to Mr. Stephens that I do have a motion picture sound projector at home. If you could loan me the print over the weekend, I would like very much to see it. I understand it is an outstanding film, and I would like very much to screen it. I will be back for the latter part of the hearing. For the record, I would like to say, first of all, that no administration has done more to feed the hungry in this country than this administration. Those are not my words, but the conclusions of the chairman of our committee, Senator McGovern. I think it was a gracious and magnanimous thing for him to say. Now, that does not mean to say that this committee has not helped the administration achieve that objective, and it does not mean that we should let up one bit or that the administration should rest on its laurels, because that record can easily be blemished by inactivity in certain areas. Certainly, it has been necessary for us to remind the administration of priorities such as feeding the elderly, and we fought through on the floor of the Senate bills that would not have been carried into law if we had not assumed the leadership in those areas. Certainly the summer feeding program for children must have a high priority. NO HIGHER PRIORITY There are constant demands being made for Federal funds, and there is a shortage of funds. We are the advocate for the hungry, and this committee has been a most outspoken advocate. We intend-and we hereby serve notice that we are not going to be shoved into second place, and we are going to fight to keep the administration in the forefront of this field in feeding the hungry and closing the hunger gap-we are not going to let up one single bit. We are not going to wait for the heat of the summer to realize where the priority is. We will anticipate human need, not in response to the loudest voice that shouts for it, but with solid evidence that this is the best investment that the U.S. Government and its people can possibly make. Name any priority of need higher than this one in the magnitude of its impact upon a people. This is an investment that you can never ever recover if you do not make it. Because what do you do to an injured brain; what do you do to an injured body; how do you ever make up for it when you get the funds 5 years from now? What happens to the children and the adult population in needy families? So I fully concur with the sense of urgency depicted by Senator Cranston, our chairman today. I feel it is absolutely necessary that we hold these hearings, though I regret the necessity of holding such hearings. It should have been self-evident these programs should have been fully funded. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Senator CRANSTON. Thank you, Senator Percy, for that very strong statement indicating your own dedication and commitment to feeding hungry children. We will now start by watching a heartwarming film of last year's summer feeding program produced by ARA, one of the many food services programs involved in the program. This film documents the success of the Summer Lunch Program, records the methods of food distribution and stresses the positive nutritional and educational value of the program. We show this film, not to endorse any particular company, but because it tells in a very human way what the dollar figures we are discussing today really mean. [The film, produced by ARA Services, Inc., was shown.] |