Civil Eats

The Agriculture Committee of the US Senate has taken a first big step forward toward President Obama’s call for improved child nutrition by requesting an additional $450 million per year to fund better school lunch. Those seeking a healthy food and agriculture across the nation applaud the Committee’s approval of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, though more will be needed to improve the healthfulness of the food served in our lunchrooms. At the same time, it took one big step backwards by suggesting that over $4 billion dollars needed to fund that Act should be taken out of two existing Farm Bill programs.

The Committee wants to rob Peter to pay Paul and few people seeking healthy food and agriculture have cried foul. This is a mistake. It is the reason why two weeks ago Roots of Change launched an online petition to the House leadership that could stop such a move. We are encouraged by the announcement last week by Colin Peterson, Chairman of the House Ag Committee, that he will protect those Farm Bill programs with backing from many House members. But the fight is not over. Read More

Democratic strategists told the Rachel Maddow show yesterday that they are considering a strategy in which the congressional leadership would revoke chairmanships and other leadership positions from any Democrat siding with a Republican filibuster to stop a vote on health care reform, regardless of how they vote on the bill.

This show of muscle in the Democratic party could be bad for Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, who has previously spoken against the public option and has been viewed as a threat to health care reform so much so that she has even had advertisements like this one run against her in her state, where 17.5% of inhabitants don’t have health insurance.

So if Democrats in fact adapt this strategy, we challenge you to go ahead, Senator Lincoln, and go rogue against your party. We’d be happy to accept Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) as the new chairwoman, considering that you have been so receptive to agribusiness interests over those of 300 million eaters in this country.