The House debates a bill this week intended to get kids drinking whole milk at school, while GOP congressional leaders continue trying to find a deal that could tie border security measures to funding for Ukraine and Israel.
House Republicans also plan to force a debate on an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
On Monday, the House Rules Committee meets to decide which amendments will be considered when the full House debates the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023, which would prevent whole milk from being counted toward overall fat restrictions in school meals.
Paul Bleiberg, executive vice president of government relations for the National Milk Producers Federation, told Agri-Pulse there’s growing support for the idea that science supports treating dairy fat differently than other types of fat. “Not all fat is treated the same,” Bleiberg said.
Bleiberg said NMPF is working with the lead House sponsors — House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., and Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., as the bill goes to the floor.
“We strongly support the bill as is and look forward to a good bipartisan vote on the bill. If amendments are made in order, we’ll deal with that then, but we’re not pushing any amendments,” he said.
The amendments proposed for the bill included one from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., which would allow whole milk to be organic or nonorganic, and another from Reps. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., and Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., that would prevent the USDA from issuing any rule that bans varieties of milk, including chocolate milk.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group, has been trying to stop the bill, arguing it runs counter to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend limiting saturated fat intake to less than 10% of daily calories.
“Thanks to the updated science-based school nutrition standards required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 — which included replacing whole milk with low- and fat-free milk — school meals are the healthiest meals many children consume. Congress should not be reversing this hard-fought win by making school meals less healthy by allowing whole milk,” CSPI said in June when the measure was under consideration by the House Education and Workforce Committee.
But Bleiberg expects the bill to get strong bipartisan support. Nearly 30 Democrats voted for the bill in committee or have signed on as co-sponsors, and at least 170 Republicans have been supporting the bill, he said.
“I think we’re excited that a strong vote in the House will bode well for the Senate as we continue to work to add additional co-sponsors to the Senate companion as it moves forward,” he said.
Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., introduced a companion bill over the summer with several co-sponsors from both parties.
Meanwhile this week, congressional leaders are expected to continue trying to find a deal on a Ukraine-Israel aid amid heavy pressure from Republicans to include tougher border security measures than Democrats want.
On Friday, the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus issued a set of demands aimed at House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. In addition to including the border security measures, which include new restrictions on immigration, the group also wants changes in a House-Senate agreement on the National Defense Authorization Act and a top-line deal on fiscal 2024 appropriations that cuts government spending.
“The Washington Swamp is destroying Americans’ way of life and Republicans must fight for conservative policy wins to change the status quo,” the Freedom Caucus said in a statement.
When it comes to funding the government for fiscal 2024, the group demands congressional leaders “significantly reduce total programmatic spending year-over-year without side deals, gimmicks, or any other mechanism designed to hide the true number.”
Continuing resolutions that are currently funding the government at FY23 levels expire Jan. 19 for some departments, including USDA, and Feb. 2 for others, but congressional leaders have yet to even agree on the overall spending limit for FY24.
Cut through the clutter! We deliver the news you need to stay informed about farm, food and rural issues. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse here.
Until appropriators have a top line, it will be difficult for them to finalize funding for individual departments and agencies.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Thursday House GOP majority hasn’t made progress on any significant issue.
“MAGA Republicans have shown zero interest in solving problems on behalf of everyday Americans, zero interest in dealing with the economy, zero interest in confronting inflation, which is on the way down,” he said.
He said Congress should stick to the top line agreed to the debt-ceiling deal last spring.
Here is a list of agriculture- or rural-related events scheduled for this week in Washington and elsewhere (all times EDT):
Monday, Dec. 11
4 p.m. — House Rules Committee meeting to consider the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023, H-313 Capitol.
Tuesday, Dec. 12
Wednesday, Dec. 13
2 p.m. — House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on stakeholder priorities for the Water Resources Development Act of 2024, 2167 Rayburn.
Thursday, Dec. 14
8:30 a.m. — USDA releases Weekly Export Sales report.
9 a.m. — Commodity Futures Trading Commission holds meeting of its agricultural advisory committee, 1155 21st Street, N.W.
Friday, Dec. 15
For more news, go to Agri-Pulse.com.
