[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 129 (Thursday, September 26, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H5836-H5837]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             END HUNGER NOW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to again talk 
about the need to end hunger now.
  Last week, this House passed a bill that cut $39 billion from the 
Nation's preeminent anti-hunger safety net program, the Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Formerly known as food stamps, 
SNAP is a program that provides food to low-income individuals and 
their families. It also has among the lowest error rates of any Federal 
program. Additionally, the bill contained new work requirements for 
people receiving SNAP benefits.
  Mr. Speaker, the notion of new and stricter work requirements sounds 
terrific. I'm sure it polls very well. But the reality is that the 
majority of people receiving SNAP who can work, actually do work. In 
fact, working people are the fastest-growing priority of the SNAP 
program.
  And let me note that SNAP already has work requirements for able-
bodied adults without dependents. Under current law, they are eligible 
for SNAP benefits for only 3 out of every 36 months unless they work 20 
hours a

[[Page H5837]]

week or are in a State-run unemployment or training program. The law 
specifically states they must take a job if it is offered to them, and 
cannot quit.
  States can apply for waivers for areas of high unemployment. During 
this very difficult economic time, 48 States and jurisdictions 
currently do so. In other words, Republican and Democratic Governors 
alike understand that forcing people to find a job before they can get 
their food benefits doesn't make any sense if there are no jobs to 
find.
  The Republican bill would eliminate those State waivers and impose 
harsh financial penalties on States that refuse to implement the new 
work requirements. So much for States' rights.

                              {time}  1015

  But more broadly, Mr. Speaker, it's important to note that what we do 
in Congress is not done in a vacuum. Every action we take is linked 
together. Every piece of Federal policy that we pass has a reaction on 
other Federal policies.
  For the past 3 years, we have seen this Tea Party-controlled House of 
Representatives attempt to weaken our educational system, prevent 
people from obtaining health care, cut childcare programs, cut 
transportation funding and affordable housing, cut job training 
programs, try to take health care away from people who have insurance, 
and prevent bills that create jobs from coming to the floor. In other 
words, at the same time my Republican friends are telling poor people 
that they need to work in order to get food benefits, they are doing 
everything possible to make it harder for people to find a job that 
pays a living wage.
  Now, think about a young single mother who is trying to make a better 
life. Republicans want to cut Pell Grants, cut funding to community 
colleges, and cut job training programs, which means it's harder for 
her to get the skills she needs. This sequester has meant cuts to Head 
Start programs, which makes it harder to find affordable childcare so 
that she can go to work. Cuts in transportation funding make it more 
difficult and expensive for her to get to a job if she can find one.
  They reject health insurance for everyone, which gives her a perverse 
incentive to stay on Medicaid. They oppose raising the minimum wage, 
which means that even if she can find a job, it likely won't pay enough 
to provide for her family.
  Mr. Speaker, slashing government just for its own sake means cutting 
education, stifling innovation and job creation, and preventing people 
from making ends meet.
  I have come to this floor week after week to talk about how we can 
end hunger now. Week after week, I have called for a White House 
conference on food and nutrition, urging the President to bring policy 
and political experts to the White House to come up with a 
comprehensive plan to End Hunger Now--a plan that could dramatically 
reduce the number of people who rely on SNAP and reduce the amount of 
money we spend on the program. This is an issue that can and must be 
solved.
  Last week, this House took a huge step backwards, a step that will 
make more people hungry in America. It was an awful thing to do. The 
Congressional Budget Office estimates that 3.8 million people will lose 
their benefits; 170,000 veterans will lose their food benefits.
  Ending hunger used to be a bipartisan issue. Surely, it can be again.

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