Biography

September 15 through October 15 marks Hispanic Heritage Month. These dates recognize both Mexican Independence Day, which is September 16, and Columbus Day, which celebrates the bridging of the Old World with the New.

Like most Americans, Hispanic Americans benefit from the work we do at USDA. For instance, our Rural Housing Service is an active partner in the President’s Minority Homeownership Initiative, which is working to increase minority homeownership by 5.5 million by the year 2010. We want to close the housing gap that exists for minorities in this country.

USDA is also helping Hispanics succeed in education and the workforce. Our Hispanic Serving Institutions Program encourages Hispanics to apply for USDA’s internship, scholarship, fellowship, and grants programs. Last year alone, USDA invested more than $34 million in educational programs targeting Hispanic students and institutions.

In addition, there are many programs that help Hispanic farmers and ranchers. While the total number of farm operators has steadily declined since 1978, the number of Hispanic farm operators since then has doubled to approximately 30,000. USDA offers them practical, supportive, and effective tools aimed at finding a successful balance of profitability and productivity, while conserving our land. During 2002, Hispanic farm operators participated in more than 50 programs, receiving $55 million in disaster assistance, commodity supports and credit and loans, all to assure a reliable, safe, and affordable food supply for our country.

Our Food and Nutrition Service is working to assure that those who are eligible for nutrition-assistance programs, such as food stamps, have easy access to the available benefits. President George W. Bush has made it a priority to restore eligibility for legal immigrants to participate in the food stamp program. This will benefit nearly 400,000 Hispanics. And it is important to note that October 1 marked the date that low-income immigrant children will be eligible for food stamps regardless of the date they entered the country. It is also an important step in our ongoing efforts to improve access for low-income households and restore fairness and equity for legal immigrants.

In addition, we have made available information about all these programs in Espanol at http://www.usda.gov.

I’m proud of the work we do to help all Americans lead better lives. And I’m proud of the thousands of USDA employees who work hard every day to make USDA a place of equality and opportunity both within the Department and for those we serve. •