Government has so many ignoble tendencies, it’s often difficult to guess which ones are driving any particular policy choice. For example, how does the government decide which products are available for purchase using WIC benefits? As reported today in DC political newspaper, The Hill:

A new rider to the 2014 funding bill for the Agriculture Department forbids the agency from excluding “any variety of fresh, whole, or cut vegetables, except for vegetables with added sugars, fats, or oils, from being provided as supplemental foods” under the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program

Rep. Mike Simpson (R‑Idaho) is a lead sponsor of the language and can be expected to defend it from attacks during a full committee markup of the bill.

The Agriculture Department excluded white potatoes from its list of approved items in 2009 because it argued they do not contain enough nutritional value and people shouldn’t be encouraged to buy them. Lawmakers fighting the exclusion are predominantly from the largest potato-growing areas such as Idaho and Maine.

I’m hopeful that Congress and the USDA will figure out just the right mix of paternalism and cronyism needed to ensure the effectiveness of federal food assistance programs.