Chairman Aderholt Passes FY15 Agriculture Appropriations Bill by Voice Vote out of Subcommittee

Statement

Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04) released the following statement in addition to his opening remarks (below) after the conclusion of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee's successful passage of the FY15 appropriations bill for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food & Drug Administration, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Farm Credit Administration.

"This bill supports programs that our farmers, ranchers, and rural communities rely on every day, and will help these small areas to grow and prosper," said Congressman Robert Aderholt who chairs the Appropriations Agriculture subcommittee. "In addition, the bill will help ensure that our food supply is safe and healthy for all Americans, and provide nutrition assistance for the most vulnerable among us, including children and the elderly."

"Much has been said about the waiver language provided for the school meals program. Based upon some of the comments I am not sure that they have actually read the language in the bill as it merely provides a temporary waiver for those schools that are having difficulty makingthe economic realities of the new federal regulations work with the economic realities in their school district.

"The new USDA regulations are far reaching and have come too fast for local school districts to swallow. As such they have upset the economics of the school meals program by driving the cost of the plate up while pushing participation down. This is causing some school systems to abandon the school meals program altogether."

"I have been in the school lunchroom, I have sat down with the individuals responsible for preparing student meals, and I have sat down with thestudents about this. As well intended asthe people in Washington believe themselves to be, the realityis that from a practical standpoint these regulations are just plain not working out in some individual school districts."

"I first thought that the problems were largely isolated to rural counties where school meal suppliers were more limited, but have since heard from schools in more urban districts that they too were having problems complying with the new regulations."

"I am standing with our nation's schools to provide them the flexibility they are requesting from Congress. The language in this bill simply provides those schools that are having difficulty complying with the regulations the ability to obtain a temporary, one year waiver."

"Fewer kids are buying school lunches, and that undermines the intention to increase healthy eating in schools," said Aderholt. "This ultimately jeopardizes the economics of the program in many counties."

Congressman Aderholt currently serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies for the powerful House Appropriations Committee; Vice-Chairman of the Committee's Commerce, Justice and Science; and a member of the Defense Subcommittee, and also serves on the Helsinki Commission.

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