[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 39 (Thursday, March 2, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H2570-H2571]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      CHILDHOOD NUTRITION PROGRAMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California [Ms. Roybal-Allard] is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, Americans want streamlined and 
efficient government, but they also expect Congress to be fair and 
responsible.
  They did not ask us to achieve these goals at all costs, especially 
if it means 
[[Page H2571]] jeopardizing the future of our defenseless children.
  Republicans claim their proposals to cut crucial nutrition programs 
are aimed at bureaucrats, but the real victims of these deadly cuts are 
the children of America.
  The pain and suffering of childhood hunger can be seen in each of our 
50 States.
  Children who pass out on the school playground because of hunger;
  Children who have learned the heartbreaking skill of stretching one 
packet of cheese flavoring for three meals of macaroni and cheese; and
  Children who literally sob from the pain of stomach cramps because 
they have not eaten since the previous day.
  These scenarios are not grossly exaggerated fictional accounts 
concocted to illustrate my point.
  They are actual examples of childhood hunger in this country recently 
documented in the Los Angeles Times of children without the benefit of 
nutrition programs.
  These tragic scenarios will become more frequent and more severe if 
Republican proposals to block grant vital nutrition programs are 
approved. For they will limit the money that will be available to feed 
our children.
  Scientific evidence reveals that children are far more susceptible to 
the harmful effects of nutrient deprivation than previously known and, 
according to physicians, results in lifelong damage.
  Once physical growth and cognitive development have been impaired, 
the damage is often irreversible.
  The highly effective WIC and the national school lunch programs 
protect children from the physical and mental ravages caused by hunger.
  As a direct result of Federal nutrition programs, growth stunting has 
declined by 65 percent according to the USDA.
  The General Accounting Office reports that the WIC program saves 
$3.50 in special education and Medicaid costs for every prenatal $1 it 
spends.
  In my home State of California, almost 2\1/2\ million children 
participate in these nutrition programs.
  The future of these and other children is now endangered by the 
irresponsible and heartless cuts proposed by the Republican majority.
  Teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District, as in school 
districts throughout this country, support the school breakfast and 
school lunch program.
  They know first-hand that children who are well-nourished are more 
alert, more attentive and more eager to learn as contrasted with hungry 
children who are listless and can barely raise their heads from their 
desks.
  While children will be the first victims of the Republicans' callous 
and ill-conceived program cuts, all Americans will ultimately pay the 
price when our young people cannot fulfill their academic potential and 
cannot grow into productive workers.
  As a result, our Nation will no longer be a global competitor.
  To deny food to our children is a betrayal of our values and our 
future as the richest Nation on Earth.
  It is imperative that we maintain this safety net of nutrition for 
America's Children.
  How can we in good conscience afford to do less?
  Mrs. CLAYTON. You had emphasized the value of nutrition for 
education. I just wanted you to expand on that in terms of the value of 
nutrition to reduce the cost of health care. Part of, obviously, why 
nutrition is valuable is to make sure young people are healthy, and 
when they are not healthy, the cost of health care goes up.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Absolutely. If you talk to teachers throughout 
this country, they will tell you when children go to school hungry, not 
only do they not learn, but they are much more susceptible to disease 
and, therefore, the cost of health care is also increased.
  Mrs. CLAYTON. I was thinking in this atmosphere of reduction and 
deficit reduction, it seems to be pound-foolish and to be penny-wise in 
trying to cut back on nutrition programs when you put at risk not only 
kids' learning abilities but also raise the cost of health care. It 
seems like if we were trying just to reduce the budget, we have chosen 
the wrong program, the WIC program, to do that or the school lunch 
program to do that.

                              {time}  2215

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Absolutely, because in the long run I guess it is 
going to cost society much, much more.

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