Page 6 - February2019

Produce Industry In The Crosshairs Of Government Shutdown
BY CARLY GRETHER, MANAGER, ISSUE ADVOCACY AND JOHN HOLLAY, SENIOR DIRECTOR, PUBLIC POLICY
The 116th Congress is underway and as in recent years, there is high drama on Capitol Hill. The election of 2018 has brought di- vided government to Washing-
ton, and debates around border security have resulted in a partial shutdown of the federal government.
The current impasse over border secu- rity has led to more than 800,000 federal employees being left without pay and has shuttered the doors of the U.S. Depart- ment of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and even left the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) scram- bling to make sure the upcoming tax season moves smoothly. This is already the longest shutdown in the history of the country, and the resulting consequences are signi cant.
This is particularly important to the produce industry, given the lack of staff at USDA to not only handle farm loans, but also nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other fundamental programs the produce industry and consumers rely on daily. Perhaps more importantly, FDA inspections of facilities have been suspended, although some inspectors will return to work per Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. Although the recent E.coli outbreak has been determined to have ended, addressing the safety of our current food supply appears unclear given the current uncertainty regarding the partial shutdown.
As far as federal nutrition programs are concerned, SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) is the nation’s largest — reaching nearly 40 million individuals per month. Federal funding lters to states, which then distribute bene ts to recipi-
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ents. Bene t payments for the month of January are unaffected by the shutdown. The USDA announced on Jan. 8 that it has the authority through the previously passed spending bill to distribute SNAP funding for February earlier than normal to states to avoid a disruption in bene ts. States had the opportunity to request their allocation as early as Jan. 20 for February bene ts. It is unclear how bene ts will be impacted for March should the shutdown continue through February. The USDA also con rmed the availability of funding for school meals through the end of March. The Women, Infants and Children program (WIC), which serves low-income pregnant and post- partum women and their children up to age 5, has guaranteed funding through the end of February.
Given the recent passage of the bipar-
tisan, bicameral Farm Bill signed into law by President Trump, the shutdown is particu- larly troubling. Typically, USDA staff already would be hard at work developing the regu- lations that will implement the new ve-year farm bill, but this year is decidedly different.
Despite the government shutdown, United Fresh’s staff is working closely with industry partners to prioritize implementa- tion issues once the government reopens. We are also working to educate the produce supply chain on the changes incorporated into the new law and how they can best utilize the new and revised programs to their advantage.
Although government doors might be shuttered, United Fresh is working to make sure the produce industry has access to the resources they need to stay safe, pro table and competitive in the new year.