[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 171 (Monday, December 31, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2025-E2026]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP)

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE QUIGLEY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 31, 2012

  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because in the coming week, 
most of us will sit down to a holiday meal with our families, friends, 
and loved ones.
  And most of us will take this meal for granted.
  But for 46 million Americans who rely on nutrition assistance, this 
holiday meal is not a guarantee.
  The vast majority--more than 85 percent--of these 46 million 
Americans are living in households making less than $22,000 for a 
family of four.
  And of those 46 million, half are children, and three-quarters are 
households that include an elderly person, a disabled person, or 
children.
  For these millions of families, food is not a certainty, and they 
struggle each day to make ends meet.
  Sadly, due to the recession, an increasing number of Americans have 
lost their jobs and been forced to turn to the supplemental nutrition 
assistance program, or SNAP.
  As the number of unemployed Americans increased 94 percent between 
2007 and 2011, SNAP increased as well, rising 70 percent to meet 
demand.
  At the food pantries in my district, pantry visits have increased 
between 8 and 30 percent from last year. While the economy is 
improving, the number of individuals in need of assistance is still 
elevated.
  Rather than cutting food assistance right now, we should be 
bolstering it.
  Unfortunately, some members of this body have targeted food 
assistance, arguing it should be cut to balance the budget and avert 
cuts to defense.
  The Ryan budget proposed cutting SNAP by $133 billion.
  A cut of this magnitude would cut almost 10 million people off from 
food aid, or would result in a benefit cut of $90 per month for a 
family of four.
  For a family with a net monthly income of $338--the average for most 
SNAP households--a $90 cut would be devastating.
  I agree with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: We must 
reduce the deficit.

[[Page E2026]]

  And that means raising revenues and implementing cuts.
  But both revenue increases and cuts must be strategic, not simple.
  The tax code should be simplified, tax expenditures should be 
scrutinized, and tax increases should be progressive.
  Similarly, spending reductions should be based on a reexamination of 
what we need to remain competitive in a global economy.
  For instance, we should continue to invest in education, job 
training, infrastructure, and yes food assistance to keep Americans 
successful and competitive.
  We should cut outdated spending on defense expenditures, such as our 
out-sized nuclear stockpile and permanent troops in Europe.
  We should also reform our entitlements, such as Medicare, by paying 
providers for outcomes and quality, combating waste and fraud, and 
demanding higher rebates from drug companies.
  The truth is, food assistance comprises just two percent of the 
federal budget.
  And contrary to the claims by the some that food assistance is 
unsustainable--SNAP is expected to drop from .52 percent of GDP in 2011 
to just .3 percent as the economy recovers. This is hardly an 
unsustainable trend.
  In fact, according to Moody's Analytics every $1 dollar invested in 
SNAP yields $1.72 in economic benefit.
  As we speak, negotiators are sitting down to determine what a final 
deficit reduction package will look like.
  I hope that as they debate the final deal, and look forward to 
spending the holidays indulging with their families, they remember the 
millions of families that aren't as lucky.
  I hope they remember the millions of children, parents, elderly, and 
disabled Americans who rely on SNAP to avoid going hungry.
  I recently had the privilege of volunteering at the Greater Chicago 
Food Depository, which provides food to over half a million Chicagoans 
every year.
  I met some of the folks who rely on SNAP and I heard their stories.
  And I can tell you, they are not takers.
  They are our friends and neighbors who have fallen on hard times and 
need our help.
  I won't soon forget them, and I hope those crafting the deficit 
reduction package won't either.