Washington Insider-- Thursday
Texas Ag Commissioner Supports Fried Food
Here's a quick monitor of Washington farm and trade policy issues from DTN's well-placed observer.
White House Threatens Veto of Trade Bills that Contain Currency Manipulation ProvisionsPresident Obama would veto pending Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation if it contains provisions addressing currency manipulation that would interfere with the Federal Reserve's ability to address currency policy, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Tuesday. Earnest's statement comes just a week after the White House Office of Management and Budget expressed support for the bill which already has passed the House and is under consideration by the Senate.
Earnest said that the administration and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew have been able to advocate for fair currency policies at a number of multilateral meetings, making the case with their counterparts that unfair currency practices should not be pursued. Earnest said that the administration has had "some success," notably with China, although China is not a party to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.
What Obama will not support, Earnest said, is any provision that jeopardizes the Federal Reserve's independence and authority to implement monetary policy "in a way that they believe is consistent with the best interests of the U.S. economy."
The Senate is somewhat under the gun to approve TPA legislation either today or tomorrow or face the possibility the Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will keep the chamber in session over the Memorial Day weekend.
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Senate TPA Amendment Would Give Congress Authority to Block New TPP MembersDemocratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio has introduced an amendment to pending Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation that would give the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committee the ability to block any nation from becoming a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement, aside from the 12 countries currently negotiating that deal.
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Under Brown's amendment, the administration would have to notify Congress of its intent to enter into negotiations with any country that wants to join the TPP. The Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee — within 90 days of the notification — then would have to certify that the country could meet TPP standards. In addition, the full House and Senate would have to vote on a resolution giving approval for the country to join negotiations after such certification.
The White House has not commented on Brown's proposal, which could be considered as early as today.
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Washington Insider: Texas Ag Commissioner Supports Fried FoodThe Wall Street Journal seemed to be chuckling just a little as it recently reported an effort by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller that is about 180 degrees away from the healthy food efforts being promoted by first lady Michelle Obama. He is calling for bringing back deep fat fryers to Texas school lunchrooms.
The commissioner, a professional rodeo rider, says he is pushing to overturn current state regulations that ban deep-fat frying and certain carbonated beverage sales in schools. Miller, a Republican, believes the current school-nutrition regulations unduly hamper local school districts.
"It's about giving back local control and allowing each school district to make the best decision for their community," he said in a statement. "It's not about French fries, it's about freedom."
Not everyone is amused. The Journal notes that Miller's proposal is giving heartburn to some critics, including Susan Combs, a former Republican state comptroller and agriculture commissioner from 1999 until 2006.
She told the press, "… after seeing schools turning children into profit centers by selling junk food at every turn, I championed these food rules as agriculture commissioner. Parents send their children off each morning with an expectation of a safe, healthy environment."
Miller has invited public comments about his proposal, but he apparently has the clout to amend the Texas Agriculture Code, which lays out school-nutrition rules. If he does, schools would have the option to offer deep-fat fried foods. Bryan Black, a spokesman for the Texas Ag Department, said Miller likely will decide in next 30 to 60 days whether to adopt the amended rules, which would apply to public and private schools that participate in the national school-breakfast and school-lunch programs.
Even before his current proposal, Miller had aimed his brand of food populism at the under-18 set. In his first official act in office, he announced "amnesty for cupcakes" at a news conference in which he handed out the free baked goods. He reminded people that the previous state agriculture commissioner in July had abolished state rules that restricted parents from bringing cupcakes, cookies and snacks to school parties.
Still, some pushback seems to be developing against Miller's calls for a return to the days of deep-fried school menu options. Some note that America is in the midst of an obesity epidemic. The Dallas Independent School District removed its fryers more than a decade ago and says it has no plans to bring them back, even if the rules change, according to André Riley, a spokesman for the district.
"Child obesity remains a serious issue both here in Dallas and across the nation, and we at Dallas ISD are pleased with the strides we've made to reduce the amount of fats introduced to our students' diets,". Riley said.
Ag Department spokesman Black explained that Miller "is still pushing for Texans to eat healthy, but he also wants to preserve individual choice."
How serious Miller's campaign will turn out to be remains to be seen, but the WSJ notes that he has found a somewhat unlikely ally in Kinky Friedman, a Texas country singer who ran for agriculture commissioner last year as a Democrat, on a platform that included legalizing marijuana. "If Sid Miller wants to deep fry, I'm with him," Friedman said. "Everyone in Texas is fat anyway," he added. "So if schools want a deep-fat fried turkey, so be it."
Still, the school nutrition debate is serious for many and it will be important to note how much traction Miller gains with his current theme which is seen by critics as trivializing campaigns for healthier food. While Texas is still Texas, school nutrition is a serious topic that deserves attention — and should be watched carefully by producers as the debate in Texas continues, Washington Insider believes.
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