[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 17, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H1849-H1850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            HUNGER HITS HOME

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday the Food Network 
premiered their first-ever documentary called ``Hunger Hits Home.'' 
This powerful program showed the struggle that millions of Americans go 
through just to put food on their tables. I urge my colleagues, indeed, 
all Americans, to watch it by going to foodnetwork.com and searching 
for ``Hunger Hits Home.''
  It's fitting that the Food Network, a cable network that focuses on 
cooking, would choose to highlight the scourge of hunger with its first 
documentary. That's because food is at the heart of the problem.
  While 435 Members of Congress and 100 Senators will never have to 
worry about going hungry, there are nearly 49 million people who 
struggle each year to put food on their table; 17 million kids each 
year go hungry in America, and those numbers are getting worse, not 
better.
  The Food Network aired this documentary because of the hard work of 
good people at Share Our Strength. Led by my good friend, Billy Shore, 
Share Our Strength is a leader in the fight to end child hunger, and 
this effort wouldn't be where it is today without them.
  We have more than enough food in America to feed everyone. We also 
have the delivery systems to ensure that food gets to those people who 
need it. The problem is politics. We have the means, the food, and the 
programs to ensure that not one person goes without food in this 
country.
  What we lack, Mr. Speaker, is the political will to actually make it 
happen. We should remember that while there is a cost to ending hunger, 
the cost of doing nothing is so much more. According to a report from 
the Center for American Progress and Brandeis University, hunger costs 
America more than $261 billion each year. That's billion with a ``b.''
  Specifically, hunger costs ``at least $167.5 billion due to the 
combination of lost economic productivity per year, more expensive 
public education because of the rising costs of poor education 
outcomes, avoidable health care costs, and the cost of charity to keep 
families fed. This $167.5 billion does not include the cost of the 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the other key Federal 
nutrition programs, which run at about $94 billion a year. We call this 
$167.5 billion America's hunger bill. In 2010 it cost every citizen 
$542 due to the far-reaching consequences of hunger in our Nation. At 
the household level, the hunger bill came to at least $1,410 in 2010. 
And because our $167.5 billion estimate is based on a cautious 
methodology, the actual cost of hunger and food insecurity to our 
Nation is probably higher.''
  That's a lot of money--$167.5 billion. It's a staggering amount. Yet, 
we continue to ignore those costs and allow hunger to grow in America.
  We know that hunger would be even worse in this country if it weren't 
for programs like the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or 
SNAP, the school meal programs and other Federal anti-hunger programs. 
These programs are literally a lifeline for millions of hungry 
children, parents, and seniors.
  I believe that we can end hunger in America if we muster the 
political will to do so. Fighting hunger has traditionally been a 
bipartisan effort. Unfortunately, the Republican leadership in this 
House is pushing an agenda that will actually make hunger worse in 
America.
  Tomorrow the Agriculture Committee will mark up legislation that cuts 
$33 billion from the most important anti-hunger program we have in this 
country. SNAP is a program that not only provides food to low-income 
parents, seniors, and children; it also provides a most effective form 
of economic stimulus, and it actually reduces poverty.
  Yet, the Republican leadership continues to demagogue the program as 
wasteful, as fraudulent, and as something that is growing out of 
control. But nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, SNAP is 
among the most effective and efficient Federal programs. The truth is 
that the SNAP error rate is around 3 percent. That error rate includes 
people who do not receive the benefit that they're actually entitled 
to. I challenge anyone to

[[Page H1850]]

find me a Defense Department program with an error rate as low as 3 
percent.
  I look forward to the time when the Republican leadership stops using 
hunger as a wedge issue and lets this become a bipartisan issue once 
again.
  I understand that we need to balance the budget, Mr. Speaker. But 
must it be on the backs of the poor and the most vulnerable in our 
country?
  ``Hunger Hits Home,'' this wonderful film, shows us the problem 
facing this Nation. The challenge is presented to us. Are we going to 
end hunger once and for all or not?
  So far the answer from the Republican leadership is a resounding 
``no,'' and I regret very much that decision.
  Mr. Speaker, hunger is a political condition. If we muster the 
political will, we can end it once and for all.

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