Food and housing insecurity are two interconnected issues that can have significant impacts on individuals and communities. They often occur together, creating a vicious cycle where limited access to affordable housing can hinder the ability to purchase nutritious food, and vice versa.

• There are many issues related to Food & Housing that Congress is looking to address with legislation. In the ‘About’ section of this post is an overview of the issues and potential solutions, party positions, and web links. Other sections have information on relevant committees, chairs, & caucuses; departments & agencies; and the judiciary, nonpartisan & partisan organizations, and a wikipedia entry.
• To participate in ongoing forums, ask the post’s curators questions, and make suggestions, scroll to the ‘Discuss’ section at the bottom of each post or select the “comment” icon.

The Food & Housing category has related posts and three posts on issues of particular focus:  Food Insecurity, Housing Availability, and Sustainable Agriculture.

Food Insecurity is defined at a household level, of not having adequate food for any household member due to finances. The step beyond this is very low food security, which is having six (for families without children) to eight (for families with children) or more food insecure conditions in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Security Supplement Survey. To be very low food secure means members of the household disrupt their food intake due to financial reasons.

• In the ‘About’ section of this post is an overview of the issues or challenges, potential solutions, and web links. Other sections have information on relevant legislation, committees, agencies, programs in addition to information on the judiciary, nonpartisan & partisan organizations, and a wikipedia entry.
• To participate in ongoing forums, ask the post’s curators questions, and make suggestions, scroll to the ‘Discuss’ section at the bottom of each post or select the “comment” icon.

The Food Insecurity category has related posts on government agencies and departments and  committees and their Chairs.

The term “sustainable agriculture” was defined in 1977 by the USDA as an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term:

• satisfy human food and fiber needs
• enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agriculture economy depends
• make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls
• sustain the economic viability of farm operations
• enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.

In the ‘About’ section of this post is an overview of the issues or challenges, potential solutions, and web links. Other sections have information on relevant legislation, committees, agencies, programs in addition to information on the judiciary, nonpartisan & partisan organizations, and a wikipedia entry.

To participate in ongoing forums, ask the post’s curators questions, and make suggestions, scroll to the ‘Discuss’ section at the bottom of each post or select the “comment” icon.

The Sustainable Agriculture category has related posts on government agencies and departments and  committees and their Chairs.

The term “Housing crisis” or “affordability crisis” is currently used in the United States and other English-speaking countries to refer to widespread shortages of housing in certain regions where people want to live. These shortages, caused in part by regulatory barriers to new construction, have had consequences such as elevated regional homelessness, housing insecurity, and high housing costs.

• In the ‘About’ section of this post is an overview of the issues or challenges, potential solutions, and web links. Other sections have information on relevant legislation, committees, agencies, programs in addition to information on the judiciary, nonpartisan & partisan organizations, and a wikipedia entry.
• To participate in ongoing forums, ask the post’s curators questions, and make suggestions, go to the ‘Discuss’ section at the bottom of the post.

The Housing Availability category has related posts on government agencies and departments and  committees and their Chairs.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), also known as the Agriculture Department, is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food.

It aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and production, works to assure food safety, protects natural resources, fosters rural communities and works to end hunger in the United States and internationally.

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is a Cabinet department in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government.

Although its beginnings were in the House and Home Financing Agency, it was founded as a Cabinet department in 1965, as part of the “Great Society” program of President Lyndon B. Johnson, to develop and execute policies on housing and metropolises.

Mission:  Empowered with legislative oversight of all matters relating to the nation’s agriculture industry, farming programs, forestry and logging, and legislation relating to nutrition, home economics, and rural development.

House Counterpart:  Committee on Agriculture

Democratic Members:
Klobuchar, Amy (MN), Ranking Member
Bennet, Michael F. (CO)
Smith, Tina (MN)
Durbin, Richard J. (IL)
Booker, Cory A. (NJ)
Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
Warnock, Raphael G. (GA)
Welch, Peter (VT)
Fetterman, John (PA)
Schiff, Adam B. (CA)
Slotkin, Elissa (MI)

Republican Members:
Boozman, John (AR), Chairman
McConnell, Mitch (KY)
Hoeven, John (ND)
Ernst, Joni (IA)
Hyde-Smith, Cindy (MS)
Marshall, Roger (KS)
Tuberville, Tommy (AL)
Grassley, Chuck (IA)
Thune, John (SD)
Fischer, Deb (NE)
Moran, Jerry (KS)

Featured Video: Senate Ag Committee Holds Hearing to Examine Cattle Market

Mission:  Oversight over matters related to banks and banking, price controls, deposit insurance, export promotion and controls, federal monetary policy, financial aid to commerce and industry, issuance of redemption of notes, currency and coinage, public and private housing, urban development, mass transit and government contracts.

Democratic Members (Minority):
Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts, Ranking Member
Jack Reed, Rhode Island
Mark Warner, Virginia
Chris Van Hollen, Maryland
Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada
Tina Smith, Minnesota
Raphael Warnock, Georgia
Andy Kim, New Jersey
Ruben Gallego, Arizona
Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware
Angela Alsobrooks, Maryland

Republican Members (Majority):
Tim Scott, South Carolina, Chair
Mike Crapo, Idaho
Mike Rounds, South Dakota
Thom Tillis, North Carolina
John Kennedy, Louisiana
Bill Hagerty, Tennessee
Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming
Katie Britt, Alabama
Kevin Cramer, North Dakota
Pete Ricketts, Nebraska
Bernie Moreno, Ohio
Dave McCormick, Pennsylvania

Featured Video:
Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs conducts Annual Oversight of Wall Street Firms

Mission:  
The Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of some federal agencies, and it can recommend funding appropriations for various governmental agencies, programs, and activities, as defined by House rules.

Senate counterpart:  Committee on Agriculture 

Subcommittees:

• Commodity Markets, Digital Assets and Rural Development
• Conservation, Research and Biotechnology
• Forestry
• General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit
• Livestock, Dairy and Poultry
• Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture and Horticulture

Chair: Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania (R)
Ranking Member: David Scott, Georgia (D)

Staff Director Majority: Parish Braden
Staff Director Minority: Anne Simmons
Meeting Location: 1301 Longworth House Office Building; Washington, DC 20515 (202-225-2171)

Featured Video:  21st Century Food Systems – Aug. 3, 2021
Web Links

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food safety, tobacco products, caffeine products, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs (medications), vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, blood transfusions, medical devices, electromagnetic radiation emitting devices (ERED), cosmetics, animal foods & feed and veterinary products.

The FDA’s primary focus is enforcement of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C), but the agency also enforces other laws, notably Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act, as well as associated regulations. Much of this regulatory-enforcement work is not directly related to food or drugs, but involves such things as regulating lasers, cellular phones, and condoms, as well as control of disease in contexts varying from household pets to human sperm donated for use in assisted reproduction.

Source: Wikipedia

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on December 2, 1970, after Nixon signed an executive order. The order establishing the EPA was ratified by committee hearings in the House and Senate.

The agency conducts environmental assessment, research, and education. It has the responsibility of maintaining and enforcing national standards under a variety of environmental laws, in consultation with state, tribal, and local governments. EPA enforcement powers include fines, sanctions, and other measures.

Source: Wikipedia

Focusing on transportation, including civil aviation, railroads, water transportation, transportation safety (except automobile safety and transportation security functions of the Department of Homeland Security), transportation infrastructure, transportation labor, and railroad retirement and unemployment (except revenue measures related thereto)

Senate Counterpart: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Subcommittees:

• Aviation
• Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
• Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
• Highways and Transit
• Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
• Water Resources and Environment

Chair: Sam Graves, Missouri, 
Ranking Member: Rick Larsen, Washington

Majority Staff Director: Jack Ruddy
Minority Staff Director: Katherine W Dedrick
Meeting Location: 2165 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515; Phone: (202) 225-9446

Featured Video: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Members’ Day Hearing – April 14, 2021
Web Links