[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 15, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H1050-H1051]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   H.R. 1055 WILL HELP MILITARY PERSONNEL AND THEIR FAMILIES ON FOOD 
                                 STAMPS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). 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 want to start my comments 
by reading from an ABC 20/20 transcript that aired on June 25, 1999. 
The headlines of the feature were ``Front Lines, Food Lines.'' 
Highlights of the show: Low-paid military families cannot make ends 
meet. I am going to read a couple of the statements from the show.
  Tom Jarriel, ABC News: ``In Kosovo, American troops again face danger 
from snipers and patrols through villages littered with landmines. It 
is a familiar example of American military troops deployed for 
peacekeeping while risking their lives serving on the front lines.''
  I further quote Tom Jarriel in this script. He says, ``On this day, 
115 families searching for clothing for their infants and food for 
their tables. Among them, Corporal Victor Miller and his wife, 
Deborah.''
  Corporal Victor Miller said, ``We got lucky, we got a 10-pound ham.''
  Mr. Speaker, we have too many of our men and women in the military 
that are willing to die for this country on food stamps. It is 
absolutely unacceptable that this Congress will not do something about 
it.
  Let me further quote Tom Jarriel: ``Our men and women in service who 
carry the flag into battle, standing in line for a hand-out. It's a 
depressing reality. The reason--many in the military's lower enlisted 
ranks tell us they can barely support their families on government pay 
alone.''
  Mr. Speaker, I introduced several months ago House Resolution 1055. 
This would help our men and women in the military who are on food 
stamps with a small, modest $500 tax credit. I believe sincerely that 
when we have men and women in the military that are willing to die for 
this country, and they are being deployed as frequently and as often as 
men and women are

[[Page H1051]]

being deployed, that we in Congress, both Democrat and Republican, 
should not allow men and women in uniform to be on food stamps. We have 
roughly 60 percent of the men and women in the military who are 
married.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I want to say that I think that the Republican 
and House leadership should come together and pass legislation, whether 
it be this bill that I have introduced, H.R. 1055, which has 73 Members 
of the House, both Democrat and Republican, on that bill, but we need 
to speak during this session of Congress to those men and women in the 
military who are on food stamps, because I know when I speak to civic 
clubs in my district, when I speak to church groups in my district and 
I tell them that men and women in uniform are on food stamps, they 
cannot believe it. They say that it is deplorable and unacceptable.
  Mr. Speaker, this Marine that I have in this photograph before me is 
getting ready to deploy to Bosnia. The little daughter on his feet, her 
name is Megan. If you can see, she is looking very intently with a 
worried look on her face. She is only 3 years old. In his arms he has a 
6-month-old baby named Brittany. The little girl, I know she does not 
know that her father is going to be gone for 6 months to Bosnia, but 
when I look in her face I am seeing a child that might not ever see 
that father again.
  I say to the Members of Congress today, it is absolutely unacceptable 
that we have men and women in uniform on food stamps. I hope that 
Members on both sides of the aisle will talk to their leadership and 
say, let us look at the possibility of moving H.R. 1055, and if not 
that, then let us use that as a vehicle to speak to those on food 
stamps.

  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. I am delighted to yield to my friend, 
the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), who is on the Committee on 
Armed Services.
  Mr. SKELTON. To add a little to this, when the gentleman says there 
are young men and women, those who are married, on food stamps, that is 
absolutely correct. There was testimony in our Committee on Armed 
Services the other day wherein the former Secretary of Defense, Bill 
Perry, who is highly respected, regardless of the political party, 
testified to us that this year's budget, in addition to the budget 
recommended by the administration, this year's budget on modernization, 
which of course includes procurement, research, development, and spare 
parts, should be $10 to $20 billion in addition to what has been 
recommended.
  There is also a matter of health care, which I know we are all 
looking at. I testified before the Committee on the Budget the other 
day suggesting very strongly that there be an additional $10 billion 
for modernization and $2 billion for health care for military retirees 
and for the active duty and their families, which of course might very 
well help in the picture that the gentleman now holds.
  This is terribly important that we treat the young men and women 
fairly. It is a morale problem. We can have the finest barracks in the 
world, the finest places to work in the world, but if we do not have 
spare parts to fix the helicopters and trucks, it is a terrible morale 
problem. I appreciate the gentleman's remarks.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. I thank the gentleman. I want to say 
that the gentleman is one of the leaders in this Congress, and I 
appreciate the support that the gentleman gives our men and women in 
uniform.

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