McGovern Takes A Bite Out Of Hunger
McGovern Takes A Bite Out Of Hunger https://digitalalabamanews.com/mcgovern-takes-a-bite-out-of-hunger/
‘FOOD OUGHT TO BE A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT’ — Rep. Jim McGovern believes that ending hunger can be a political unifier in a partisan era. Even still, it took him months of organizing with anti-hunger groups and pushing for buy-in from the Biden administration to get to where we are today: the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in more than five decades.
The Biden administration has a plan to end hunger by 2030 through executive actions and policies that include expanding access to federal nutrition assistance programs, getting the FDA to roll out voluntary nutrition guidance and increasing the number of students who can get free school meals. Some of those policies would require action from Congress — where extending school meal programs is already a fight, and where Democrats could lose control of one or both chambers in the midterms, complicating the legislative path forward.
The first federal hunger conference set a high bar: Spearheaded by McGovern’s mentor, the late Sen. George McGovern (no relation), the 1969 convening led to nutrition programs like WIC.
Playbook caught up with Jim McGovern about what to expect this time around and what more the state can do to help end hunger. Our interview has been edited for length and clarity:
What are the goals here?
The focus is on improving food access and affordability, integrating nutrition and health, empowering consumers to make healthy choices, enhancing nutrition and food security research. The long and short of it is, this conference is about making hunger a national priority.
What are the chances of getting this done legislatively, particularly if control of Congress switches over?
Some things need to be done legislatively, some things can be done through executive action, some things can be done with the private sector. … But look, hunger is a political condition. We have the food, we have the resources, we have the infrastructure to end it. What we’ve lacked is the political will. And my hope and expectation is that this conference will help create that political will. And there’s already some bipartisan support for some of the recommendations.
The economy, abortion and immigration are dominating the midterms conversation. A hurricane is bearing down on Florida. How do you break through all that noise?
You get the president of the United States to hold a major conference on the topic. I think people want issues that unite us, and food unites us. And again, this is not just about the health and well-being of people in this country, this is about the economy, this is about our future.
What can be done at the state level to help end hunger?
One of the recommendations that will come out of this conference is free breakfast and lunch for every child in every school in this country. … The Massachusetts Legislature just extended universal free meals for another year. We want Massachusetts to do it permanently.
GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. State Reps. Andy Vargas and Mindy Domb and state Sens. Jo Comerford and Sal DiDomenico are among the lawmakers and anti-hunger organizations expected to join McGovern at the hunger conference in Washington, D.C.
TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito are at Harvard Kennedy School at 3 p.m. for a discussion on strengthening state and local collaboration. Polito also chairs a Governor’s Council meeting at noon. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh keynotes a MASSterList forum on labor at 7:30 a.m. at MCLE in Boston. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is on “Java with Jimmy” at 9 a.m. GOP governor nominee Geoff Diehl and running mate Leah Cole Allen host a media availability on economic and tax issues at the State House at 10 a.m.
Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email me: [email protected].
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