Congress considers expanding nutritional assistance for immigrants
Immigrants' Rights Update, Vol. 15, No. 6, Oct. 8, 2001

As Congress works on a $50-90 billion "stimulus package" designed to address the economic downturn aggravated by the September 11 attacks, it is also considering legislation addressing nutrition assistance programs. One proposal, which is related to the stimulus package, would address the rapidly developing shortfall in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) that threatens to prevent hundreds of thousands of women and children from obtaining basic nutrition assistance. The second proposal would restore food stamps to lawfully present immigrants.

WIC Shortfall. T he WIC program provides nutritious foods, nutrition education, and access to health care for low-income pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and children under five years old who are at nutritional risk. WIC vouchers can be used only to purchase particular foods specifically tailored to the special dietary needs of program participants, such as milk, infant formula, juice, cereal, cheese, and eggs. WIC is one of the few federal safety net programs available to individuals without regard to immigration status.

WIC is highly sensitive to the economy; when the economy experiences a downturn, applications for WIC go up. But unlike some other safety net programs, WIC is not an entitlement. Congress appropriates money based on its estimate of the likely need, and if the money runs out, otherwise eligible women and children are turned away. This year, the Bush Administration's budget request was developed in the spring, and subsequent congressional action has not accounted for the changed economic circumstances. Even before the September 11th events, WIC applications had increased markedly above the initial budget projections. The attacks and subsequent economic shock have exacerbated the problem. Under the administration's budget, states next year will be forced to turn away at least 350,000 otherwise eligible women and children, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). The CBPP reports that at least $250 million in additional funds will be needed in fiscal 2002.

To date, the House has passed an agriculture appropriations bill that provides the same amount of funding requested by the administration, while the Senate is scheduled to vote on its version later this month. The Senate Appropriations Committee bill includes about $110 million more than the president requested. However, even if the Senate bill passes and prevails in conference later this month, there will be a $140 million shortfall. Advocates are now working hard to ensure that the Senate passes the full amount allocated by the Appropriations Committee, and that the stimulus package includes the remaining $140 million as an emergency supplement.

Food Stamps. Under current law, the Food Stamp Program imposes more restrictions on immigrants' eligibility than any other federal, state, or local program. The rules are complicated, but most lawfully present immigrants are ineligible for federal food stamps, including many who have lived in the U.S. for decades. All U.S. residents face job losses as a result of the September 11th attacks, but many immigrants remain unable to rely on the same safety net because of restrictions on the principal safety net programs.

Advocates believe that the farm bill represents one of the best hopes for restoring food stamps to lawfully present immigrants. The farm bill is one of the few major proposals likely to pass this year that is not directly related to the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. As passed on Thursday, October 4, 2001, the House's version of the bill, H.R. 2646, contains about $70 billion in new spending over the next 10 years on items supported by agriculture interests. It also reauthorizes the Food Stamp Program and includes about $3.25 billion in new spending on food stamps and nutrition. But the House-passed bill does not include any restorations of immigrants' eligibility for food stamps.

Advocates hope to do better in the Senate, where Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Richard Lugar (R-IN), the ranking minority member, are working together to craft a bipartisan bill that soon will be presented to the committee. Although variables remain, there is a reasonable chance that restorations of immigrants' eligibility for food stamps could be part of the Lugar-Harkin proposal. The Lugar-Harkin proposal will likely be finalized this week.

Updated information on the status of these proposals is available through the Food Research and Action Center's web site at www.frac.org.