[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 8, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H2814-H2815]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         REPUBLICAN SHELL GAME

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Republicans should stop 
playing the shell game with promising increased funding for school 
lunches but not guaranteeing that increase. The Republican welfare 
reform bill removes the guarantee of school lunches, but it does 
provide an increase in the spending authorization. Promising an 
increase in one bill at the same time passing this week massive 
education and school rescissions in another bill proves to America that 
no program is safe from the budgetary axe of the majority party, 
including school lunches.
  I ask my colleagues from Texas to contact the State agency which is 
running the school breakfast and lunch program. They estimate a cut in 
meals to children.
  We may wish to waive this off as a reduction of an increase, but what 
about the increase in population which has occurred in Texas and 
particularly in Houston.
  Let us be fair, take school lunches and breakfast program out of 
welfare reform and put it back into education. A hungry child is not a 
good student. These programs could be streamlined, but Congress should 
guarantee that 
 [[Page H2815]] every child in America should have a hot nutritious 
meal at school.
  Under the Republican bill, we lose the lunch guaranteed by this shell 
game, promising an increase, taking away an appropriation and yet 
letting the State transfer 20 percent.

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