[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 7 (Wednesday, February 2, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H191-H192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               MILITARY FAMILY FOOD STAMP TAX CREDIT ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to come to the 
floor and talk about a bill that I introduced last year, H.R. 1055, the 
Military Family Food Stamp Tax Credit Act. I have approximately 61 of 
my colleagues on both sides, Republican and Democrat, who have signed 
this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, there are probably as many as 12,000 men and women in 
uniform who are willing to die for this country today that are having 
to live on food stamps. I think that is unacceptable and deplorable 
that any person that is willing to die for this country would have to 
be on food stamps.
  So we looked at how we could help those in the military that are on 
food stamps, and we came up with the suggestion from several different 
sources that probably the best thing we could do was to provide a $500 
tax credit for men and women in uniform.
  Mr. Speaker, I bring this photograph of a Marine in my district. This 
Marine is getting ready to deploy for Bosnia for 6 months. We can see 
standing on his feet a beautiful little girl, and in his arms a new 
baby girl. And I looked at this photograph, it was in the Raleigh paper 
in my State of North Carolina, and it has so much meaning and depth to 
it that I thought I would have it blown up so that I could bring it to 
the floor of the House or take it to a committee to remind my 
colleagues who make the decision on how we pay our military and make 
the decisions on what we can do to help those men and women in uniform 
on food stamps.
  We have approximately 60 percent of the men and women that serve this 
Nation that, again, are willing to die for this Nation, that are 
married. I think this family from Camp Lejeune getting ready to deploy 
shows just how fortunate we are to have men and women who have families 
that are willing to serve this Nation.
  When I looked at the fact that we in Congress last year passed $15 
billion in foreign aid for countries overseas, and I realize that we 
have to have foreign aid and we should have northern aid, but I think 
we could reduce it, frankly. I think I voted against that bill because 
we need to take care of the American people first. And we certainly 
need to take care of those in the military that are serving this 
Nation.
  Then I looked at the fact that the President recommended that we 
eliminate the debt of $5 billion to 36 countries that owe the American 
taxpayer $5 billion. So, therefore, we have excused that debt. I look 
at what we have

[[Page H192]]

spent in Bosnia already, somewhere around $5 billion. I look at what we 
spent in Yugoslavia last year, $11 billion.
  Mr. Speaker, to help 12,000 men and women in uniform on food stamps 
would only cost $59 million over 10 years.
  I want to also make the point that this Congress last year passed an 
Omnibus Budget bill that had in excess of $13 billion in pork barrel 
spending. Mr. Speaker, I say again, those of us who have the privilege 
to serve in the House and Senate, we must work together to help get 
these men and women off food stamps that are willing to die for this 
country.
  Mr. Speaker, I plan to come to the floor on a regular basis until the 
leadership, both Republican and Democrat, work together to help get 
these men and women off food stamps, because they are so important to 
the defense of this Nation. We owe them everything that we can give 
them and especially to help get them off food stamps. I thank the 
Members of this House, Republican and Democrat, who have cosponsored 
this bill, H.R. 1055, the Military Family Food Stamp Tax Credit Act; 
and I hope this year we, as a Congress, will do what is necessary to 
get these men and women off food stamps.

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