[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 124 (Thursday, September 19, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H5668]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
A VICTORY FOR COMMON SENSE
(Mr. STUTZMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. STUTZMAN. Mr. Speaker, today we have an opportunity to win a
victory for common sense. For decades, business as usual has fostered
an unholy alliance between food stamps and farm policy. Year after
year, Washington spent money that it never had. This summer, when the
House considered a trillion-dollar welfare bill that was a farm bill in
name only, taxpayers had seen enough.
The American people were able to defeat business as usual by
insisting that both food stamps and farm policy be considered
individually and on their own merits. It's just common sense. Finally,
we passed a farm-only farm bill that ended direct payments. Today, we
can continue that work by passing a food stamp bill that doubles the
savings that the House originally considered.
Mr. Speaker, this bill eliminates loopholes, ensures work
requirements, and puts us on a fiscally responsible path. In the real
world, we measure success by results. It's time for Washington to
measure success by how many families are lifted out of poverty and
helped back on their feet, not by how much Washington bureaucrats spend
year after year.
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