[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 54 (Thursday, March 23, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H3716-H3717]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     FALLACIES IN REPUBLICAN REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas [Mr. Gene Green] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to address some of the 
CRS report Mr. Hoke brought up tonight and last night, because we have 
had a chance to analyze that. Mr. Speaker, I want to place in the 
record a letter from a student I received today from the Aldine School 
District who talks about how important the school lunch is to her and 
how she believes the Preamble to the Constitution pointed out that we 
are supposed to provide for the general welfare. Now, we need to reform 
welfare, but we need to recognize that is still a part of our 
Constitution.
  The student praises the benefits of the school lunch program in the 
Aldine community, and last night Members from the Republican side and 
Congressman Hoke talked about the CRS memorandum, that I had a chance 
to read today and claims that school lunch funding under the welfare 
block grants was sufficient.
  However, this memorandum points out that the children under the 
Department of Defense were left out, were left out, until it was put in 
on the floor, because three committees looked at it and forgot 57,000 
children. This memo says that was left out.
  The memo does not take into effect the programs folded into the 
school nutrition block grant. The
 memo does not estimate the 1997 to year 2000 funding based on the 
assumption that the CRS did not want to guess at what new programs 
would be established by the States.

  This does not do anything except talk about next year. When they talk 
about the State of Ohio getting $11 million, we hope the Committee on 
Appropriations in 1997, 1998, and 1999 would fund that money, but there 
is no guarantee. This assumes the system will change in such a dramatic 
way that the current assumptions will not work. That is what this CRS 
report says.
  [[Page H3717]] That is why it is extreme to stand up here and talk 
about it in this bill. What Members of Congress should focus on is the 
shell game that this does. It takes away that guarantee of that school 
lunch for an authorization and maybe an appropriation, maybe.
  In the amendment today we had a chance to vote on the school lunch 
program in Mr. Deals's amendment. The school lunch program would have 
been protected in current law. But we saw on a party line vote who 
wanted to protect the school lunch program, and that voted failed on 
the Deal substitute.
  Current law provides that school districts are reimbursed for every 
meal and the Republicans' promise of an increase again depends on what 
will happen in their Committee on Appropriations.
  Let's take for example what happened last week in the rescissions 
bill. We have a track record already in the first 100 days of cuts in 
summer jobs programs for students, and I would hope the U.S. Senate 
would take that out. I would be glad to pin my label on there for the 
State of Texas, because our comptroller estimates we will lose $35 
million in school lunch funding.
                                                      Houston, Tx.
     Hon. Gene Green,
     Longworth House Office Bldg.,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Gene Green; My name is LaDeirdre C. Lane and I am an 
     8th grade student at Kentwell, Aldine I.S.D. In my history 
     class our teacher gave us an assignment to write a government 
     official talking about an issues that we feel very strongly 
     about.
       I feel strongly about the welfare reform. I feel that this 
     one proposal that shouldn't get past Congress. For one, it 
     would take money out of our school lunch plan. Many of the 
     students in my school already eat free or reduced lunch. For 
     some of these students it might just be the only hot meal 
     that they get all day. Secondly there are people out there 
     who abuse these government fundings, but for every one who 
     abuses, there are two who really need it. Without welfare 
     many families would end up starving and in poor health.
       Also another reason is stated in the preamble of the 
     Constitution that we the people must promote the general 
     welfare and in this one saying that must take effect. I would 
     appreciate if you would take my ideas into consideration.
       Thank you for your time, and I hope that my ideas have 
     begun to turn the wheels of progress, I will be waiting to 
     hear a response from you.
           Sincerely yours,
     LaDeirdre C. Lane.

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