[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 74 (Wednesday, June 14, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H4345-H4346]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CHALLENGE TO SECRETARY SHALALA

  (Mr. HALL of Ohio asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to respectfully challenge 
Secretary Donna Shalala.
  Madam Secretary, there is something sad out there that I would like 
you to see. At the National Nutrition Summit, you said: ``Except for a 
few isolated pockets, we have succeeded at ending hunger in America.'' 
That is not true.
  According to dozens of American organizations, fighting on poverty's 
front lines, according to respected international organizations, like 
the WHO and UNICEF, according to what I have

[[Page H4346]]

seen too many times, and I am shocked that a cabinet secretary would be 
so clearly out of touch with reality.
  Secretary Shalala, I challenge you to meet me in any American 
community at any time for a look at the food banks and soup kitchens 
filled with senior citizens, children, American veterans, and working 
families.
  Hunger is a fact. It is the underbelly of our booming economy. You 
can choose not to look at it; but it is real, and it is ugly. It 
plagues 26 million of our fellow Americans each year. Please come take 
a look.

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