WASHINGTON – The feds are going on a deli-run of gigantic proportions using economic stimulus cash — spending $28 million on ham and cheese alone, government documents reveal.
In a cholesterol-fest that critics are terming a vivid demonstration of “pork” politics, Washington spent $17 million on canned pork, $1.2 million for 380,000 hams, and $2.5 million for frozen ham.
With White House instructions to inject stimulus money into the economy, the Agriculture Department has allocated $100 million in emergency food purchases.
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Bulk buys of cheese are also whizzing out the door, with $1.6 million for mozzarella and $5.7 million for processed cheese.
“We were predicting that it was going to be a pork-fest figuratively, and now it’s literally turning into a pork-fest,” said Leslie Page, of Citizens Against Government Waste.
The sandwich-meat splurge is being governed by a single-paragraph in the stimulus law providing funds for the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program — with up to $50 million set aside for administration.
In addition to the $100 million in the stimulus, another $250 million was included in the 2008 farm bill.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the items were for delivery to state food banks and soup kitchens.
Demand at the nation’s food banks is up because of the bad economy, said Jean Daniel of the Food and Nutrition Services agency, who said the feds asked food banks what they needed most.
“They told us that we needed proteins and dairy items. That’s why they purchased things like ham [and] cheese,” Daniel said.
Vilsack said the primary purpose was to help those hit hardest, and didn’t make a strong claim that the deli purchases would save jobs.
He did say the purchases would provide “modest economic benefit” to retailers, manufacturers, farmers and ranchers.