[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 78 (Wednesday, June 5, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H3100-H3101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1010
                             END HUNGER NOW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, this is my 13th End Hunger Now speech this 
year. Thirteen times I've stood on this floor and talked about hunger 
in America; 13 times I've come here and defended the anti-hunger safety 
net, the Federal programs that provide food to 50 million Americans; 13 
times I've stood here and talked about hunger as a health issue; 13 
times I've said we need to set a goal to end hunger now.
  People ask me all the time: Is it even possible to end hunger in 
America? Mr. Speaker, the answer is a definitive ``yes.''
  The truth is we've done this before. That's right, Mr. Speaker, we 
nearly eradicated hunger in the 1970s. It wasn't easy, but the concept 
was simple. The political leadership in Washington made a commitment to 
end hunger in this country.
  In the 1970s, Congress and the President expanded the food stamp 
program, created the WIC program, and expanded the school meals 
programs. They found the political courage to do what's right because 
they believed that it was unacceptable that anyone in America went 
hungry.
  Yet that effort was lost when these programs were slashed in the 
1980s. Hunger came back with a vengeance. The number of hungry people 
skyrocketed. In fact, it's been rising steadily since the Reagan 
Presidency. These programs weren't just cut; they were demonized. Food 
assistance became a pejorative to some, and we see the results of those 
years of demonizing those programs today.
  The truth is SNAP works. Food assistance works. People on food 
assistance are able to feed themselves and their families. They're able 
to use money they might have had to use for food for other purposes 
like rent, utilities, medical costs, school supplies for their kids, 
and transportation costs--just to name a few--in order to be able to 
buy nutritious food. They didn't have to make the choice between food 
or rent.
  But that's not all. The money spent on food from these programs is 
spent on food which is produced by our farmers. It is spent in grocery 
stores. In fact, a recent report showed that approximately $70 billion 
was spent in grocery stores just from SNAP alone during our economic 
downturn. That's a lot of money going to our economy when our economy 
was damaged and needed the help.
  These programs work, Mr. Speaker. But what's the response from the 
Republican-controlled House? Are they strengthening a program that is 
already among the least fraudulent and most efficient and effective in 
terms of our Federal Government? No.
  In 2 weeks, this House will consider a farm bill that will cut $20.5 
billion from SNAP. It will take food away from 2 million Americans. It 
is a bill that will take 210,000 poor kids off free school meal 
programs. It is a bill that would reduce the monthly SNAP benefit by 
$90 for another 850,000 people. And that's on top of the automatic 
across-the-board cuts to SNAP that will take place in November even if 
we cut nothing else. That's not only wrong. It is quite frankly, Mr. 
Speaker, beneath this great country of ours.
  I will fight these cuts, and I urge all my colleagues--Democrats and 
Republicans alike--to stand with me in pushing back on these cuts.
  We should be praising this program for keeping people from starving. 
We should be strengthening it and making it work better, not neutering 
it and

[[Page H3101]]

taking food away from millions of poor families.
  SNAP works, but don't take my word for it. Listen to the words of 
Trish Thomas Henley, someone who had to rely on SNAP to make ends meet. 
She says:

       In 1993, I was a single parent with a 3-year-old and an 18-
     month-old. Even though I was working full time making $8.50 
     an hour as an administrative assistant, I could not afford to 
     pay for food, housing, and day care. I went on food stamps. I 
     remember the shame I felt every time I stood at the register 
     while other shoppers waited for me to count out my food 
     stamps.
       The only way out of the cycle of poverty and off aid was to 
     go to college. I applied and, at the age of 25, began my 
     undergraduate career. I had to give up my full-time job to go 
     to school. Instead, I worked three part-time jobs.
       I would never, ever have been able to get through school 
     without food stamps, Pell Grants, and student loans. It took 
     a village and government aid. I was not a victim. I did not 
     feel entitled. I, then as now, felt immensely grateful that I 
     lived at a moment when my government chose to invest in me. 
     It has been a smart investment. I am grateful that because of 
     this investment I am now able to contribute and live up to my 
     full potential.

  Today, Trish is a professor at the University of Cincinnati. You see, 
Mr. Speaker, a little investment goes a long way.
  SNAP works. It worked in the 1970s as the food stamp program, it 
worked for Trish in the 1990s, and it's working now. This is not the 
time to cut SNAP. We should be strengthening the ladders of opportunity 
that help people succeed. We should, with the help of the White House, 
develop a plan to end hunger now. We should not be supporting a farm 
bill that will make hunger worse. Now is the time to renew our efforts 
and pledge to end hunger now.

                  [From Cincinnati.com, May 31, 2013]

                          Food Stamps Do Work

       My name is Trish Thomas Henley, and I'm an assistant 
     professor of early modern literature and culture at the 
     University of Cincinnati. I received my B.A. and M.A. from 
     the University of Idaho and hold a PhD. from Florida State 
     University. My first book was published in 2012. I'm also a 
     volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati 
     and a mother of four boys.
       My current life--as a teacher, volunteer, published author, 
     homeowner and middle-class taxpayer--would not have been 
     possible without government aid. In 1993, I was a single 
     parent with a 3-year-old and an 18-month-old. Even though I 
     was working full-time, making $8.50 an hour as an 
     administrative assistant, I could not afford to pay for food, 
     housing and day care. I went on food stamps. I remember the 
     shame I felt every time I stood at the register while other 
     shoppers waited for me to count out my food stamps.
       The only way out of the cycle of poverty and off of aid was 
     to go to college. I applied and, at the age of 25, began my 
     undergraduate career. I had to give up my full-time job to go 
     to school. Instead, I worked three part-time jobs.
       I would never, ever have been able to get through school 
     without food stamps, Pell Grants and student loans. It took a 
     village and government aid. I was not a victim. I did not 
     feel entitled. I, then as now, felt immensely grateful that I 
     lived at a moment when my government chose to invest in me. 
     It has been a smart investment. I am grateful that because of 
     this investment I am now able to contribute and live up to my 
     full potential.
       Lately we're hearing a lot about food stamps, now called 
     the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as Congress 
     debates the farm bill We could see anywhere from $4 billion 
     to $20 billion in cuts to SNAP, based on the Senate and House 
     bills, respectively. I am not able to stand by and watch 
     silently while Congress votes to allow people to go hungry 
     while simultaneously subsidizing agribusiness.
       SNAP helps lift 50 million Americans out of poverty and 
     puts food on families' tables--on our neighbors' tables.
       I am telling my personal story because someone needs to 
     talk back to food stamp stereotypes and myths. Somehow, the 
     myths persist and are used to defend the drastic cuts that 
     have been proposed in the farm bill. If we want to save SNAP 
     and other anti-hunger programs, it's time for a reality 
     check.
       Myth: SNAP recipients are inner-city minorities.
       Fact: Food insecurity is neither an urban issue nor an 
     ethnic issue. Nearly one in six people faces food insecurity, 
     and they live in every county in the nation. In addition, 76 
     percent of SNAP households include a child, an elderly person 
     or a disabled person.
       Myth: People on SNAP are lazy and sign up for the program 
     so they don't have to work.
       Fact: Eighty-five percent of households with a food-
     insecure child have at least one working adult. The SNAP 
     benefit formula provides a strong work incentive--for every 
     additional dollar a SNAP participant earns, their benefits 
     decline by about 24 cents to 36 cents, not a full dollar. 
     Participants have a strong incentive to find work, work 
     longer hours or seek better-paying employment.
       Myth: SNAP is rife with fraud and abuse.
       Fact: Despite steady growth of the program over the past 
     decade, fraud and abuse have been reduced significantly. A 
     2010 report from the USDA found the national rate of food 
     stamp trafficking (the practice of trading food stamps for 
     cash) declined from about 3.8 cents per dollar of benefits 
     redeemed in 1993 to about 1 cent per dollar.
       Myth: SNAP recipients use their benefits to buy alcohol, 
     cigarettes or lottery tickets.
       Fact: It is illegal to buy any of these things with SNAP 
     benefits.
       Myth: SNAP is an inefficient government giveaway.
       Fact: SNAP benefits drive economic growth in every 
     community. Every $1 in new SNAP benefits generates up to 
     $1.80 of economic activity.
       These benefits are investments to help struggling families 
     realize brighter futures. My fellow SNAP alumni brothers and 
     sisters are evidence that these investments can pay off over 
     the long run.
       I am living proof SNAP can provide the boost a struggling 
     child or family needs to realize the American dream. This 
     program works, and we should all speak up together to protect 
     it.
       Please write and call your representatives in Congress and 
     urge them to vote against any cuts to SNAP. These are not 
     just numbers. These are people--people who will go hungry. If 
     we allow Congress to do this, we are responsible for that. 
     You and me.

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