Nancy Montanez Johner is the incumbent Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services

Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services

The Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services is a position created within the United States Department of Agriculture in 1993, and is responsible for administrating the Department's fifteen nutrition and food security programs and for promoting the dietary guidelines.The food...

 within the United States Department of Agriculture

United States Department of Agriculture

The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...

. She was sworn in on August 21, 2006. Prior to her appointment, she had been the Director of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. She had held this post since being appointed to the position by Governor Mike Johanns

Mike Johanns

Michael Owen "Mike" Johanns is an American Republican politician who has been the junior United States Senator from Nebraska since 2009. Previously he was the 38th Governor of Nebraska from 1999 to 2005 and was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 2005 to 2007, becoming the fourth Nebraskan to hold...

 in March 2004. She is a native of Scottsbluff, Nebraska

Scottsbluff, Nebraska

Scottsbluff is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 15,039 at the 2010 census. Scottsbluff is the largest city in the Nebraska Panhandle, and the 13th largest city in Nebraska....

. She received a Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 degree in social work from the University of Nebraska at Kearney

University of Nebraska at Kearney

The University of Nebraska at Kearney , founded in 1905 as the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney, is the Kearney, Nebraska, United States campus of the University of Nebraska system.-History:...

.

As Director of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, she managed over 5,000 employees, and was responsible for the administration of the Food Stamp Program

Food Stamp Program

The United States Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program , historically and commonly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal-assistance program that provides assistance to low- and no-income people and families living in the U.S. Though the program is administered by the U.S. Department of...

. The Food Stamp Program continues to be one of the programs she is responsible for as Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. As Director, she also managed Medicaid, Child Welfare, Aid to Dependent Children and Child Support Enforcement, Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

Under Secretary of Agriculture

According to Under Secretary Nancy Johner, during her tenure, 26 million people made use of the Food Stamp Program, nearly 80 percent of food stamp benefits went to households with children, over 80 percent of all children who were eligible for benefits received them, and households with children received about $300 in food stamp benefits each month. Congress acted to curb childhood obesity by requiring all school districts participating in USDA school meal programs to establish "Wellness Policies". In June 2007, for Vermont Hunger Awareness Day, she toured the FoodBank Farm in Montpelier, Vermont

Montpelier, Vermont

Montpelier is a city in the U.S. state of Vermont that serves as the state capital and the shire town of Washington County. As the capital of Vermont, Montpelier is the site of the Vermont State House, seat of the legislative branch of Vermont government. The population was 7,855 at the 2010...

 and the Vermont FoodBank. There, she sorted food and packed boxes with volunteers.

Proposals for the 2007 Farm Bill

At a Congressional hearing over the 2007 Farm Bill

U.S. farm bill

In the United States, the farm bill is the primary agricultural and food policy tool of the federal government. The comprehensive omnibus bill is passed every 5 years or so by the United States Congress and deals with both agriculture and all other affairs under the purview of the United States...

, Under Secretary Nancy Johner proposed investing $100 million to establish a five-year competitive grants demonstration program targeted at developing and testing solutions to the rising rates of obesity. She suggested adding $500 million of mandatory funding over 10 years for the purchase of additional fruits and vegetables for use in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs.

She also proposed changing the name of the Food Stamps Program, noting that the agency now uses coupons, not stamps. She suggested that the name does not reflect the mission of reducing hunger and improving nutrition for those with low-income. She suggested removing the cap on dependent care deduction for the Food Stamp Program. The policy at the time was $200 per month for children under 2 and $175 for other dependent children. Another proposal was removing combat-related military pay as a cause for families to no longer be eligible for Food Stamps.