Administration reverses position on moving school lunch program

In a major victory for farm belt legislators and lobbyists, the Bush administration has decided to leave the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program-better known as the international school lunch program-at the Agriculture Department rather than move it to the Agency for International Development.

The decision followed White House receipt of a letter from all 100 senators organized by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., urging that the program stay at USDA.

The program originated at the USDA as a pilot program during the Clinton administration when former Sen. George McGovern, D-S.D., served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations food agencies in Rome. When Congress authorized the program in the farm bill, it was named after McGovern and former Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole, R-Kan.

According to congressional aides, some administration officials and agribusiness executives expressed a lack of enthusiasm about the program because they believe it may interfere with market forces and offend trade negotiators from other countries.

The farm bill left the decision about the placement of the program up to the White House, and the food aid critics urged that it go to AID-where federal officials were less likely to defend it in future years. Dole, however, also told the White House that it should stay at the USDA.

Roberts Tuesday said he was pleased by the decision. "USDA has decades of experience in domestic school nutrition programs and is the agency that has run the pilot program for the last two years," he said, adding that he hopes the decision presages a willingness by the administration to seek future funding for the program.

The farm bill provided $100 million for fiscal 2003 for the McGovern-Dole program, but no money for future years. A spokesman for Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman confirmed that the USDA would run the McGovern-Dole program, but said the department planned no "major" public announcement.