[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 109 (Monday, July 20, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H8371-H8373]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE

  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 164) recognizing the 
40th anniversary of the Food and Nutrition Service of the Department of 
Agriculture.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 164

       Whereas the Food and Nutrition Service of the Department of 
     Agriculture has been promoting sound nutrition and fighting 
     hunger in the United States since 1969;
       Whereas the Food and Nutrition Service works with State and 
     local governments, nonprofit organizations, and faith-based 
     organizations to provide food and nutritional support to over 
     36,000,000 people in the United States who live in households 
     that face food insecurity on a daily basis;
       Whereas the Food and Nutrition Service supports schools in 
     the United States by providing children with nutritious 
     breakfasts and lunches and promotes wellness policies to 
     ensure that children have a healthy start in life; and
       Whereas the nutrition programs of the Food and Nutrition 
     Service reach 1 in 5 citizens of the United States on a daily 
     basis: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) recognizes the valuable historic and continued 
     contribution of the Food and Nutrition Service and its 
     employees to the citizens of the United States;
       (2) commends the efforts of States, territories, local 
     governments, and nonprofit charitable and faith-based 
     organizations to end hunger and provide nutritious food to 
     citizens of the United States;
       (3) encourages the continued efforts to educate the 
     citizens of the United States about the importance of eating 
     nutritiously and living a healthy lifestyle; and
       (4) recognizes and reaffirms the commitment of the United 
     States to end hunger in the United States and continue to 
     lead the world in ending global hunger.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Scott) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to pay tribute to the outstanding and 
important work of the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service on the occasion 
of its 40th anniversary by supporting H. Con. Res. 164.
  Mr. Speaker, since 1969, FNS has fulfilled its mission by providing 
children and needy families with better access to food and a more 
healthful diet through its food assistance programs and comprehensive 
nutrition education efforts.
  In this time of great economic recession, the employees of FNS have 
demonstrated their extraordinary commitment to public service by ably 
serving a record number of Americans in need through the Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program. In recent months, nearly 35 million 
people have found it necessary to make use of this safety net program.
  In addition, FNS serves specific sectors of our population by 
providing school meals; funding and commodities for food banks and soup 
kitchens; and specialized programs for Native Americans, the elderly, 
infant and children, and pregnant women.
  For their exemplary efforts on behalf of Americans in need, I 
congratulate the employees of the Food and Nutrition Service of the 
United States Agriculture Department and encourage the speedy passage 
of H. Con. Res. 164.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House 
Concurrent Resolution 164 and yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 164 recognizes the 40th 
anniversary of the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture. The mission of the Food and Nutrition Service is to 
provide children and low-income families better access to food and a 
more healthful diet through its food assistance programs and 
comprehensive nutrition education efforts.
  FNS administers the most important Federal nutrition programs, such 
as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the 
Food Stamp Program; the School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs; the 
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, 
known as the WIC program; the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which 
provides various commodities to our Nation's food banks; as well as 
other child and adult care food programs.
  FNS is better able to serve our Nation's hungry because of the bounty 
of America's farmers and ranchers. FNS is able to use surplus 
commodities in their various feeding programs, thus ensuring those in 
need receive foods produced by the American farmer and rancher.
  Many people do not realize that funding for domestic food assistance 
programs represents two-thirds of the USDA's budget. For fiscal year 
2009, the enacted omnibus appropriations measure included $76.2 billion 
for the programs administered by FNS. With the economy continuing to 
struggle, FNS has seen a record enrollment of

[[Page H8372]]

33.8 million food stamp participants. Clearly, the Food and Nutrition 
Service, in working cooperatively with the States, has a large and 
important role in serving those in need.
  And again, I want to recognize the 40th anniversary of USDA's Food 
and Nutrition Service and ask my colleagues to support this resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, now it is with great pleasure that 
I'd like to yield 6 minutes to the cochairman of the Congressional 
Hunger Caucus and an outstanding leader in this Congress, the gentleman 
from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern).
  Mr. McGOVERN. I thank the gentleman, my colleague from Georgia, for 
yielding me the time and for his kind words, and I also want to thank 
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Chairman Collin Peterson and their 
staff for quickly scheduling this bipartisan resolution for 
consideration today.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution honors the USDA's Food and Nutrition 
Service for 40 years of fighting hunger in the United States. There are 
more than 36 million food insecure or hungry people living in America 
today. The Food and Nutrition Service, or FNS, is the lifeline for the 
hungry in our country.
  The mission of FNS is to provide children and needy families better 
access to food and a more healthful diet through its food assistance 
programs and comprehensive nutrition education efforts. FNS does this 
by administering the Food Stamp, now called SNAP, program and child 
nutrition programs that include the school and summer meal programs. 
Without these programs and without the dedicated staff at FNS, millions 
of people in this country would be facing hunger and malnutrition.
  Their work and dedication should be commended, and I am pleased to be 
the lead sponsor of this resolution honoring the 40th anniversary of 
the Food and Nutrition Service. I am also pleased that my good friend 
and colleague, the gentlelady from Missouri, Jo Ann Emerson, is a 
cosponsor of this resolution. Unfortunately, my good friend could not 
be here for this debate, but she is a strong supporter of FNS.
  Mr. Speaker, over the past 2 years we have seen a major expansion in 
our Nation's antihunger programs. SNAP has been expanded twice: first, 
in the farm bill, which expanded both the eligibility and the 
purchasing power of the program; and second, in the Recovery Act, where 
the SNAP program benefits were accelerated to stimulate the economy and 
help families better afford food during this economic downturn.
  This year, we expect to see the reauthorization of the Child 
Nutrition Programs: WIC, the school breakfast lunch, child care, 
afterschool, and summer meal programs. And FNS is in the forefront of 
these programs.
  Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased with the work FNS has done for the past 40 
years, but this is also an opportunity to look to the future. And I'm 
encouraged by the new administration, the leadership of Secretary 
Vilsack and his team at USDA. They are exploring ways to fight hunger, 
and I'm looking forward to developing a strong working relationship 
with Secretary Vilsack.
  And while I'm pleased that USDA and FNS have worked so hard at 
responsibly implementing the antihunger programs authorized in the farm 
bill and in the Recovery Act, I am very concerned that there hasn't 
been more done on President Obama's pledge to end childhood hunger in 
America by 2015.

                              {time}  1530

  I encourage the Secretary to use this 40th anniversary recognition to 
rededicate USDA not only to ending child hunger in the United States, 
but to start working with Members of Congress and other stakeholders on 
ways to improve the Federal antihunger programs.
  I believe the Secretary should convene a Cabinet-level working group 
consisting not only of members of the administration but also 
congressional leaders in order to brainstorm on ways the administration 
and Congress can work together to combat hunger in our country. We need 
to show that the goal of ending child hunger by 2015 is something that 
this administration is committed to achieving.
  I also encourage USDA and FNS to look into using their regulatory 
authority to make it easier for eligible families and individuals to 
sign up or be recertified for SNAP and other Federal antihunger 
programs.
  In Massachusetts, we are seeing backlogs of new applications that 
last upwards of several weeks between submission of the application and 
approval or denial of that application. The issue is the increasing 
number of people who are becoming eligible for SNAP at the same time as 
current SNAP participants need to be recertified in order to continue 
participating in the program. The result is a backlog of cases for 
State administrators, causing lengthy delays that result in denial of 
food to hungry people.
  Finally, I strongly encourage the White House to convene a conference 
on food and nutrition in order to bring together our Nation's leaders 
and stakeholders on hunger and nutrition. We need to put into place a 
strategy, a comprehensive strategy, to end all hunger in this country, 
and we need to do so while improving the availability of nutritious 
food. That will take Presidential leadership. I hope President Obama 
will convene this conference soon.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate FNS on 40 years of great work. Once 
again, I thank Chairman Peterson for his willingness to move this 
resolution through the process quickly. I want to thank my friend, Mr. 
Scott, for all of his leadership.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I have no further 
speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I could not be more 
eloquent than my good friend from Massachusetts, Mr. McGovern, our 
distinguished co-Chair of the Congressional Hunger Caucus, because he 
spoke so well. But one salient fact that shows the significance of the 
Food and Nutrition Services and the work of our United States 
Agriculture Department in this area is the fact that when we look at 
child nutrition, and specifically our School Lunch Program, it has been 
documented in all too many cases that all too often that meal, that one 
meal from our School Lunch Program is the most nutrient meal that all 
too many of our young people receive each day. That shows the value of 
what the Food and Nutrition Service is doing.
  We certainly commend the resolution, commend the work of Mr. McGovern 
of Massachusetts, and our United States Agriculture Department.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support 
of the concurrent resolution to recognize the 40th anniversary of the 
Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of 
Agriculture. The Food and Nutrition Service has administered the 
Nation's nutrition assistance programs since 1969 and is the lead 
agency in charge of supporting the fundamental nutritional needs of 
children, low-income individuals, families, and communities.
  Mr. Speaker, in the United States no one should face hunger, 
especially children. Over the past forty years, the Food and Nutrition 
Service has been critical to ensuring that children have access to 
healthful foods and nutritious meals at school, in childcare settings, 
and during the summer months that support their ability to succeed in 
and out of the classroom. The services provided by the Food and 
Nutrition Service encourage good nutrition and well-being that are 
necessary to ensure a healthy future for the country.
  Through its programs, FNS actively promotes individual health and 
well-being for a strong and productive workforce. Through coordination 
with State and local governments, community organizations, and many 
partners, the Food and Nutrition Service provides access to healthful 
food, nutrition services, and education to 1 in 5 individuals at risk 
of hunger in the United States each day.
  The programs administered by the Food and Nutrition Service are 
designed to respond to fluctuations in the economy and work to ensure 
all eligible children, individuals, and households can access nutrition 
benefits when they need it the most. Together, these programs form the 
Nation's nutrition safety net. As families, communities, and the Nation 
face significant economic challenges, these programs play an 
increasingly important role in supporting good nutrition and reducing 
the risk of hunger.
  As the Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor with 
jurisdiction for many nutrition programs administered by the Food and 
Nutrition Service, the Committee on Education and Labor recognizes the 
critical food assistance and nutrition services that these programs 
provide to children and families. And,

[[Page H8373]]

we are committed to ensuring that these programs have a strong 
foundation, so that all eligible children and individuals can access 
high quality nutrition assistance with dignity and respect. I look 
forward to working with my colleagues on the committee on the 
reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Programs later this year to 
further strengthen the Nation's nutrition safety net and the services 
that these programs provide.
  I commend the Food and Nutrition Service for 40 years of important 
service to the Nation and support the Agency's continued effort to 
promote food security through access to nutritious foods, to improve 
diet quality, and to educate individuals on the benefits of and 
strategies for living a healthy lifestyle.
  Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak here today on 
behalf of this resolution recognizing the 40th anniversary of the Food 
and Nutrition Service of the Department of Agriculture. When President 
Lincoln organized USDA he called it the ``People's Department.'' That 
legacy is truly evident in the millions of Americans served each day by 
the Food and Nutrition Service.
  Contending with hunger is a sad fact of life for 36 million food 
insecure Americans. The programs administered and implemented by the 
dedicated public servants at FNS, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 
Program, WIC, the National School Lunch Program, TEFAP and the 
Commodity Supplemental Food Nutrition Program--just to name a few--
provide the difference between hunger and adequate nutrition for these 
adults and, unfortunately, so many children.
  However, these programs, vital to so many of our constituents, do not 
run on autopilot. For the past 40 years dedicated individuals at the 
Food Nutrition Service have worked to reach those in need, while 
protecting the integrity of the programs they administer. They have 
driven error rates down, while working to increase participation rates; 
FNS has proven to be able stewards of the programs they administer.
  Mr. Speaker, forty years ago today man set foot on the moon. This was 
a dream for untold generations which this government made a priority 
and achieved. When we set this goal, the tools needed to achieve it did 
not exist--they had to be invented. Forty years ago the Food Nutrition 
Service was also formed, our nation's greatest tool in fighting hunger. 
I look forward to the day when we set our goals high again and provide 
the resources necessary to truly end hunger in the United States.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 164.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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