[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 28, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H976]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1220
                           EPIDEMIC OF HUNGER

  (Ms. FUDGE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, today I rise to address the epidemic of 
hunger in this Nation. Nearly 49 million people in the United States 
suffer from hunger. That is one in six in the U.S. population, 
including more than one in five children.
  Feeding America recently reported that 46 percent of households 
served by its agencies must choose between paying for utilities or 
heating fuel and paying for food. Thirty-nine percent of households 
said they must choose between paying their mortgage or rent and paying 
for food.
  Hunger is real in this country. We know that, yet some still demonize 
SNAP and other feeding programs. Preventing hunger is a moral 
imperative that should be shared by people in every party, every 
demographic, and every religion.
  I encourage my colleagues to visit a local food bank in their 
district, or take the SNAP Challenge. Find out what it is like to live 
for just 1 day or 1 week as someone who struggles with hunger.

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