[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 55 (Monday, May 8, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H2634]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SUPPORT $500 TAX CREDIT FOR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN ON FOOD STAMPS

  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. Madam Speaker, as my colleagues know, 
for several weeks, I have been coming down to the floor talking about 
our men and women in uniform that are on food stamps. Quite frankly, it 
has been a couple of weeks.
  I brought tonight, as I have each and every night, the Marine who is 
getting ready to deploy for Bosnia. On his feet is his little girl 
named Magan. In his arms, he has a baby named Bridgette.
  It so happens, on April 14, as my colleagues know, the Congress had 
closed for Easter. I was asked, along with the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. McIntyre), to attend a memorial service at New River 
Marine Air Station, as four Marines were among 19 Marines that were 
killed in the V-22 helicopter accident in Arizona a few weeks ago.
  Sitting in the sanctuary during the memorial, I started thinking, I 
was looking around at Marines in attendance and just how many times 
those of us in this Nation take for granted the men and women in 
uniform that are willing to be called upon at any time to go defend 
this country and to give their life for this Nation.
  So I am back on the floor tonight because I have introduced H.R. 
1055, which is a bill that would give each and every member in the 
military that qualifies for food stamps, it would give them a $500 tax 
credit. Quite frankly, it is not enough. At least it shows that we 
care, and it is a start.
  I am pleased to tell my colleagues tonight, Madam Speaker, that we 
have 95 Members, both Democrats and Republicans, that are on this bill 
almost equally divided. Many on the Democratic side as well as the 
Republican side are in the leadership, and I am pleased they would join 
me in this effort to say to those who qualify for food stamps in 
uniform that we do care about them, we are trying to do something about 
it.
  I have figures that are really kind of interesting, that the Defense 
Department says we have 6,500 men and women in uniform on food stamps, 
and the GAO says we have 13,000. Well, my point is, Madam Speaker, that 
one is one too many.
  I think about the fact that we have already spent probably $9 billion 
or $10 billion in Bosnia, we have spent probably $11 billion in 
Yugoslavia, and yet we cannot find the money to take our men and women 
in uniform off food stamps. That is unacceptable.
  I speak about this quite frequently in my district. I see a lot of 
people in civic clubs and sometimes at churches, like any Member here 
that serves the United States House of Representatives. People come up 
to me afterwards and say, ``I cannot believe that. I did not know 
that.''
  So I am hoping, by coming to the floor once a week, that I can 
encourage the leadership both, again, Republican and Democrat, to move 
this bill. There are other ideas that Members have, and they are good 
ideas. But I tell my colleagues that we have researched this thing for 
months going back a year ago, and what we found out, that if one really 
wants to make sure that those who qualify for food stamps are the ones 
that receive the assistance and no one drops through the cracks, then 
it has to be this bill that we have introduced that would give a $500 
tax credit.
  If there should be some movement on this bill, I hope, quite frankly, 
that, in a bipartisan way, we would raise that figure from $500 to 
$1,000.
  So, Madam Speaker, I am going to close now. But, again, I want to 
remind the Members of the House that not only this Marine, this Marine 
represents everybody that is in uniform. We are sending our troops 
around this Nation just like a police force. I think between 1991 and 
1999, they have been on 149 operations or deployments. I think about 60 
percent of those in uniform are married.
  So, again, I hope that we, in a bipartisan way, before we leave in 
October, will pass legislation that those that are on food stamps will 
know that we care about them. Because I know truthfully, Madam Speaker, 
that the American people are just outraged that anyone in uniform is on 
food stamps.

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