[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 53 (Wednesday, March 22, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H3544]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  2230
               CHILD NUTRITION IN THE WELFARE REFORM BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from South Carolina [Mr. Clyburn] is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today utterly and totally 
appalled by what I am reading in the bill H.R. 1214, the so-called 
``Personal Responsibility Act.''
  If this bill passes, and it just might--judging by the rapid-fire way 
this and other ill conceived ``Contract With America''-inspired 
legislation is making its way on and off the House floor--the GOP 
itself should be held ``personally responsible'' for creating a measure 
that could create the specter of millions of hungry American children.
  Let us take a close look at what will be cut and, if I may, let us 
use South Carolina as a case study on just how these cuts will affect 
some of the nation's neediest children.
  First, the bill proposes to cut almost $70 billion over 5 years in 
low-income assistance programs. As a part of these cuts, the bill will 
end the entitlement status of all federally funded child nutrition 
programs in lieu of State block grants, for the States to do what they 
will.
  On the surface, this may sound like big government savings. But a 
closer look at this bill reveals that these savings are being made at 
the expense of our children.
  On the chopping block are school breakfast and lunch programs, summer 
feeding programs, the special milk program and the commodities portion 
of school nutrition programs.
  In South Carolina alone, the absence of the school lunch program 
could mean that 400,000 children will be denied what may well be their 
only balanced meal of the day.
  Further, the bill repeals the Supplemental Nutrition Program for 
Women, Infants and Children, better known as WIC.
  In South Carolina, the WIC caseload is close to 124,000. WIC has been 
proven to be highly successful in meeting nationally standardized 
nutritional needs of women and children.
  All totaled, South Carolina would receive $96 million less in Federal 
funding for the school lunch and WIC programs.
  Also on the cutting board are food stamps. This bill will cut 
spending by $20.3 billion in the Food Stamp Program over 5 years. This 
portion of the bill would impose a rigid cap on food stamp 
expenditures, with no adjustments for inflation. It would also require 
certain recipients to go to work without providing any funds to States 
for job creation.
  This portion of the bill would affect over 350,000 food stamp 
recipients in South Carolina and the State would receive $174 million 
less in Federal funding for food stamps over 5 years.
  Mr. Speaker, I have had a steady stream of visitors to my office in 
the past few weeks--bipartisan visitors--from the South Carolina PTA, 
the South Carolina Guidance Counselors, the South Carolina Food Service 
Association, the South Carolina Dietetics Association--people who are 
horrified at what this bill contains because they know first-hand what 
the true affects would be on children if this measure were to pass.
  What is the impetus behind the GOP trying to pass a measure that has 
raised the ire of such diverse groups as the National School Board 
Association, the United States Conference of Mayors, the American Heart 
Association and the National Education Association?
  Why are they so bent on passing a plan that would literally take food 
out of the months of the Nation's young?
  It is not secret that Republicans intend to use the revenues raised 
from cuts to welfare programs to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy.
  Well, this ``steal from the poor to pay for the rich'' Robin Hood-
reversal scheme has come under fire from all corners.
  And the fact of the manner is, even though the Republicans would like 
to pretend that welfare mothers and their children are the bane of the 
Federal budget, the realities do not bear them out.
  For even if the entire welfare program were totally cut today, it 
would make only a dent in deficit reduction.
  So, this mean-spirited attack on welfare, and in particular, this 
hatchet job being waged against child nutrition program, is totally 
unnecessary and will not make any significant cuts in the Federal 
budget.
  Mr. Speaker, when this 104th Congress began, much reference was made 
to the orphanage heralded in the movie ``Boys Town'' as a model for the 
Nation on how to deal with children born to poor mothers.
  Now, the Draconian measures proposed in this bill brings to mind 
another movie image, that of young poor and hungry ``Oliver Twist,'' 
his small child's hands cupped, standing before a scowling orphanage 
director, piteously pleading, ``More, sir?''


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