CNR Reauthorization Not Happening This Year

 Via Food Research and Action Center

Advocates Prepare to Step-up Efforts to Protect and Strengthen Programs
Senate leaders stated earlier this week, as Congress heads for adjournment, that the child nutrition reauthorization bill officially will not be happening this year.
While the Senate and House Committee versions of the bill have been public for the majority of 2016, finding agreement between the two very different bills proved to be too difficult to accomplish. Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) of the Senate Agriculture Committee stated that "[i]t is unfortunate that certain parochial interests and the desire for issues rather than solutions were put ahead of the well-being of vulnerable and at-risk populations and the need for reform.”

FRAC applauds the resolve of Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) to protect the programs from harmful proposals advanced by the House Education and the Workforce Committee - including a proposal to weaken the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). A three state block grant pilot of the school meals programs was also included in the House version of the legislation.
We encourage everyone to stay active in their advocacy to protect and strengthen all of the federal nutrition programs – particularly should they become part of a broader attack on entitlement programs by the new Congress and Administration. Threats to the structure, financing and reach of the programs are all potentially in the mix.
We will be in touch with you soon to discuss strategy and next steps, and as always, we appreciate your partnership in this work.

The National CACFP Forum would like also applaud and thank everyone involved in protecting and strengthening Child Nutrition Programs. We will continue to work to with our partners in advocacy to protect not only the Child and Adult Care Food Program but all nutrition programs.

See you all March 4-7, 2016 in Washington D.C. at the CACFP Leadership Conference and Anti Hunger Policy Conference where it matters to seen and heard. More about the conference.