Platts Leads Effort to Assist Needy Children

Congressman Joined by 11 Pennsylvania Delegation Colleagues in Letter to President Bush

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Todd Platts (PA-19) recently asked President George W. Bush to increase funding for the nutritional needs of rural children as part of the fiscal year 2005 budget process.  In a January 21 letter co-signed by 11 other members of Pennsylvania's Congressional delegation, Congressman Platts requested an increase in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the Child Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) by $1.84 billion over ten years.

"Pennsylvania has one of the largest rural populations in the United States," Platts wrote.  "We are very interested in ensuring that the nutritional needs of the low-income children in these areas are well met."

A recent study by the Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center concluded that, state-wide, only one in three needy children in Pennsylvania have access to the nutritional help that should be available to them during the summer months.  Those numbers drop to less than one in seven when the metropolitan Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas are removed from consideration.

Access to these programs, which are operated through the Pennsylvania Department of Education and are funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, have become more difficult over time. 

In a July 2003 letter to House Education & Workforce Chairman John Boehner, Congressman Platts and his colleagues requested an increase in the administrative rates paid to CACFP sponsors; lowering "area eligibility" for SFSP from 50 percent to 40 percent; and, a careful examination of the benefits of a pilot program initiated by Senator Richard Lugar (R-Indiana).  While Chairman Boehner acknowledged the merits of the requests, he stated that reauthorization of the child nutrition programs was constrained by tight budgets.

The recently adopted omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 2673) appropriated $11.417 billion for Child Nutrition Programs, an $837 million increase over last year.  While this increase is well needed it is still below the budget request initially made by the Bush Administration. 

Congressman Platts asked President Bush to consider this request as the administration develops its fiscal year 2005 budget request.