By Michele F. Mihaljevich

WASHINGTON, D.C. – USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack discussed his agency’s plans for pandemic relief, equity and accessibility to programs during a speech before the 2021 National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference.

Vilsack spoke March 17 during the three-day virtual event sponsored by Feeding America and the Food Research & Action Center. Vilsack, who served as agriculture secretary during the Obama administration, was confirmed in February by the U.S. Senate to head the USDA under President Joe Biden.

Noting the response of the USDA and administration to the pandemic, Vilsack said the 15 percent increase in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps) benefits has been extended through September. The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefit has been increased about $70 a month for the next four months.

The USDA is looking at ways to improve the Farmers to Families Food Box program, he said. The Biden administration has extended the program through April. Meanwhile, USDA will evaluate the program and is seeking feedback from the public.

“We’ve heard a lot of concerns about it,” Vilsack explained. “We’ve also heard some compliments about it. We are conducting, over the course of the next month or two, a series of listening sessions to get your feedback. What worked, what didn’t work? What would be a better way to do this, what would be a way to modify or change the program so that more people would get help in a way that is most convenient for them?

“We’ll take a look at the resources we have available both through COVID relief through the American Rescue Plan, through our normal programs and try to figure out how best to allocate those resources in a redesigned way to make sure we get as much help to as many people as possible.”

Moving forward, USDA will work with an equity commission “to look very closely and deeply into all of our programs to determine whether or not there is systemic racism in any of the programs, whether there are barriers in programs that prevent participation and if so, how they can best be removed. It’s our responsibility, it’s our duty, it’s our moral calling to do this.”

Vilsack listed some guiding principles for USDA over the next four years in terms of nutrition and food security. “First of all, I’m hopeful we do everything we possibly can at USDA to create a hassle-free system for those who need to qualify for programs,” he stated. “We want full participation in these programs because they are so important in terms of providing a sense of hope, a sense of security, for families across the country.

“We want to make sure that when people participate they have access to healthy foods and we want to make sure that the benefits, when they are available, are conveniently available. We want to make sure that our consumers, as they are making choices, are informed about the healthy choices they can make and that there are incentives to encourage them to make those healthy choices. We obviously want a system that is a system with integrity but we want a system that’s focused both on food security and nutrition security.”