Release No. 0043.97 Remarks of Secretary Dan Glickman National Association of WIC Directors U.S. Capitol -- February 11, 1997 INTRODUCTION Good afternoon. Thank you for inviting me here today. I'd like to say a special hello to your President, Eloise Jenks, and your Executive Director, Doug Greenaway. They both do a wonderful job. They keep all of us here in Washington on our toes. Being here in the Capitol always brings back memories of my days as a Congressman from Kansas. Seeing all of you, reminds me that we've met before ... almost 2 years ago now. You were in town. I was new in this job, and all I could do was thank you, and share my vision for this Department and its nutrition programs. Needless to say, I'm relieved to have been asked back. It reminds me of the old story about Winston Churchill. George Bernard Shaw once sent the Prime Minister a pair of tickets to his upcoming play. With them came a note: Dear Prime Minister, I'd be honored if you could join us for the premier of my new play. Please bring a friend ... if you have one.' Not to be outdone, Churchill fired back a note with his regrets. He was unable to attend opening night. But,' he said, please send tickets for the following night ... if there is one.' So I'm glad to be here for a command performance, and I'm proud to return as the first Secretary of Agriculture who will -- hopefully -- achieve full funding for WIC. This is a day we've all been working toward for 6 years now. I'll fight alongside every one of you to get there. NATIONAL MANDATE I spend a lot of time talking to people about the success and importance of our nutrition and anti-hunger efforts. We're reaching more women and children than ever before -- getting them more nutritious food than ever before. But it's a humbling experience standing before all of you. It reminds me of the Chicago Bulls rookie years ago ... I can't remember his name now, but that's part of the story. His career never really took off. But his one claim to fame was that he scored his first professional point the same night his teammate -- Michael Jordan -- scored a record 69. Asked later by a reporter what he thought about all this, the rookie smiled and said, I'll always remember this as the night Michael Jordan and I combined for 70 points.' That's sort of how I feel standing here with all of you. You go to work every day. You don't get a lot of headlines or public accolades. But you make WIC work for millions of women and children. You're the first line of defense for 40% of America's infants. Thanks to you, they get off to a good, healthy start. I'm here today to let you know that your work is appreciated at the highest levels of this Administration -- as it is throughout this nation. The more time I spend in government -- whether it's on the Wichita School Board where I started out, or in Congress, or at USDA -- the more I realize that most people want the same basic things. They want good schools and quality health care. They want economic opportunity and safe streets. They want a clean environment and a secure nation ... And above all else, we want to take care of our children. And when I say our children,' I don't just mean my son or your daughter. For everyone in this room, and -- I believe -- for most people in this nation, there is no such thing as other people's children. They are all ours. As you go around the Hill, I think this gives you a powerful weapon ... one that's stronger than any special interest in this city ... and that's the simple fact that we live in a country that does not want to send it's children to bed hungry. This is not a country that wants to deny any pregnant woman or young mother the food and medical care she needs for a healthy child. That's what full funding means: We as a nation want to reach the day where no child or mother goes without basic nutrition and health care. BALANCED BUDGET, PROTECTED PRIORITIES Of course, our push for full-funding is made all the more dramatic by the fact that the name of the game in Washington these days is balanced budget.' It doesn't have to be a hurdle. In fact, one of the most important things this Administration's budget does is blow up the central myth of balanced budget politics: That you can't balance the budget and protect those who need government's help the most. It's a myth that fiscal responsibility requires a hardening of the American conscience. It doesn't, and our budget shows that. A responsible balanced budget looks a few years down the road -- as ours does to 2002 -- and charts a course that makes tough choices about what government can and cannot do. At the same time, it doesn't forsake basic priorities. As Abraham Lincoln once said, the legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all, or cannot do so well for themselves.' No group of people need legitimate government more than children. When they first come into this world, they can't do anything for themselves. How they're treated is a telling reflection of our values as a nation. WIC is America's way of saying we want all our children to get off to a healthy start. WIC WORKS We're not there yet, but we're getting closer. As USDA prepared its budget, I saw a lot of charts and graphs and dollar signs and statistics. But one in particular made a lot of folks stop and think. It was a chart that tracked the WIC participation levels each year of this Administration. We started 1993 with 5.9 million participants. By 1998, we hope to reach 7.5 million women and children -- an increase of 1.6 million in just 6 years. If you look back in time to WIC's roots, the numbers are even more astounding. In 1974, WIC was a $20.6 million program that reached maybe 88,000 people. This year, it's a $3.7 billion program reaching 7.4 million people. It'll go up $378 million with our 98 budget request. At first glance, a person could look at these skyrocketing numbers and think, My God, what's happening to our children?' But the answer is largely a good one: We're finally opening our eyes to the full extent of their plight. It's no longer out of sight, out of mind.' That's why, when I released USDA's budget, I talked about saving money and cutting programs. I also bragged about increasing WIC funds. I'm proud of the record numbers of women and children we're reaching, and I see the funds we're seeking -- not as a financial burden in tight fiscal times -- but as an essential and great government accomplishment. WIC works. It's one of the most effective government programs we have. We all know the record ... fewer premature births ... fewer low-birthweight babies ... pregnant women who are more likely to get timely prenatal care -- saving up to $3 in Medicaid for every 1 preventive WIC dollar. The numbers are important, but what we lose in them -- and too often in the budget debate -- is a real sense of the dramatic difference WIC makes each time it touches a young life. I'll tell you just one story. I'm sure you have many more you could share. Ramon was born to a young couple in a South Texas clinic. At 3 weeks, they took him in for his WIC certification. The nutritionist noticed that his head was enlarged. With a few simple tests, she was able to quickly diagnose him with water on the brain' -- a condition which can lead to permanent brain damage. Ramon was rushed to the hospital and has since celebrated his first birthday -- a healthy child. I guarantee you that one visit made the difference between a happy and a heartbroken family. Thanks to WIC, and to all of you, these kinds of visits happen every day. Whether it's making a life-saving diagnosis or simply preventing the chronic problems that arise from malnutrition -- WIC improves the quality of life for millions of American families. And it makes an incalculable contribution to the future strength of our nation. Just ask our Fortune 100 CEOs. In testimony before the House Budget Committee, one asked: How can we justify failing to proceed expeditiously to extend WIC to all women and children who qualify for it? Children born today will make up the work force that will sustain our economy of the 21st century. Our neglect of these children is counterproductive for our society.' Amen. BUDGET UPDATE Of course, national consensus hasn't always translated into adequate funding. Last year, in particular, was a heartbreaker. We beat back the proposal to block grant WIC, only to have its funding flat-lined at 96 levels. I know that this has put many of you in the inexcusable position of having to turn away women and children who need help. I'll do everything I can to stop this. We've added $100 million in discretionary funds to our FY98 budget request. If approved, they'll be available immediately to help ensure that caseload isn't disrupted from 96 to 97. We need to be able to sustain the high levels we're at until the 98 money kicks in, and we can continue our growth. I know the ups and downs of the economy are also a concern. The last thing you should have to worry about are economic factors that are beyond your control. That's why our 98 budget builds in a $100-million cushion that kicks in if there's inflation. So we're charging hard toward that goal of reaching everyone, disrupting service to no one, and limiting the ability of outside factors to hinder your efforts. BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT But I haven't yet mentioned what's perhaps the biggest threat. I know you're primary focus here is righting the wrongs of 97 and getting WIC to full funding in 98. But I'd encourage you to also seriously consider the implications of a balanced budget amendment. One of the things it forces us to do -- since we can't predict exactly what levels of federal revenues will come in -- is revisit our budget halfway through the year. It's sort of a reality check for making sure our spending matches up with what's coming into federal coffers. If the economy takes a dip, we'll need to cut. What's left to cut halfway through the year? Most notably, payments that go out on a month-to-month basis -- Medicare, Social Security, food stamps, WIC. We can balance the budget, but we shouldn't force ourselves into a corner where we might have to make last-minute catastrophic cuts. We don't need more words in our Constitution. All we need is a Congress and an Administration that's prepared to act. Some look at Congresses past, and say we'll never get there. I disagree. I served here for 18 years, and I've never seen the people send a more crystal clear message: Balance the budget, and do it right. President Clinton listened and put a credible plan on the table. The first signals we've had back from the Hill have been fairly positive. So I'm upbeat about what we can accomplish this year. CONCLUSION President Clinton's made education the focal point of his second Administration. I think you should take that as a good sign. We also have a proposal on the table to expand health coverage to 5 million children who currently don't have it. Up and down its ranks, this is an Administration that understands that it does take a village. During the State of the Union, President Clinton talked about the life of a child born that day. He or she will have little recollection of this century. Children born today won't remember this fight so many of us have dedicated our lives to. If we win, they will simply get the food they need and the health care they deserve, and never stop to think that it might have been any other way. Isn't that a nice vision for a new century? When I took this job, I made a promise to myself that I would seek that day. As Secretary of Agriculture, I'm under no illusions about the magnitude of this goal. But I refuse to let that be an excuse for giving up on it. I can't tell you how good it feels to stand in a room full of people who've made America's children their life's work. This Administration will be with you every step of the way. On behalf of a grateful President and a grateful nation, thank you. # NOTE: USDA news releases and media advisories are available on the Internet. Access the USDA Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.usda.gov