[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 147 (Wednesday, October 16, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H6611]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              THE EXTEND NOT CUT SNAP BENEFITS ACT OF 2013

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Conyers) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to rise and 
address my colleagues.
  On November 1, households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition 
Assistance Program, popularly referred to as SNAP, will see their 
monthly benefits sharply reduced. The temporary benefit boost provided 
for in the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act is scheduled to 
expire next month, leaving many Americans unsure of how they will put 
food on the table. The November 1 cut will exacerbate the problem of 
hunger in our Nation and make it much harder for millions of 
Americans--fathers, mothers, children, veterans, and Active Duty 
military even--to provide for their loved ones.
  The benefit increase passed in the depths of the Great Recession has 
provided Americans, both directly and indirectly, with substantial 
benefits. Low-income families who face unemployment and underemployment 
are provided a critical way to bridge the financial barriers they face. 
Americans who are employed in adequate-paying jobs are able to remain 
so because of the boost to the economy; $9 is added to the GDP for 
every $5 in SNAP benefits that the program provides. These cuts will 
come at a moment when Americans are ill prepared to afford them. The 
loss of SNAP will not just mean empty tables for Thanksgiving for 
millions. It will mean, as well, a weaker economy, now even as the 
effects of our prolonged shutdown and debt ceiling brinksmanship are 
beginning to erode economic progress. This cut in benefits will simply 
push the American economy into a vicious cycle which we simply cannot 
afford at this time.
  So I am urging my colleagues to avoid exacerbating the effects of 
this government shutdown and the potential default of government debts, 
and I am calling on them to support my bill, H.R. 3108, the Extend Not 
Cut SNAP Benefits Act, which provides for a 1-year extension of the 13 
percent benefits increase contained in the ARRA through the 2014 fiscal 
year.
  I am proud to proclaim 43 cosponsors so far.
  In 2011, SNAP lifted 4.7 million Americans above the poverty line, 
including 2.1 million children. Without an extension of the 2009 
Recovery Act's temporary boost to SNAP, our economy will be the worse, 
and our children will face a hunger they do not deserve to confront 
alone. So I urge my colleagues to continue the support of H.R. 3108 and 
ensure that Americans are not cut off at the worst possible time.

       Rep. Bordallo, Madeleine Z. [GU]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Brown, Corrine [FL-5]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Capuano, Michael E. [MA-7]--9/27/2013
       Rep. Cicilline, David N. [RI-1]--9/20/2013
       Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [NY-9]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Cohen, Steve [TN-9]--9/20/2013
       Rep. Connolly, Gerald E. [VA-11]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Davis, Danny K. [IL-7]--10/3/2013
       Rep. Doyle, Michael F. [PA-14]--9/20/2013
       Rep. Ellison, Keith [MN-5]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Fudge, Marcia L. [OH-11]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Green, Al [TX-9]--10/8/2013
       Rep. Green, Gene [TX-29]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-3]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Honda, Michael M. [CA-17]--9/20/2013
       Rep. Huffman, Jared [CA-2]--9/20/2013
       Rep. Jackson Lee, Sheila [TX-18]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Johnson, Eddie Bernice [TX-30]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Langevin, James R. [RI-2]--9/20/2013
       Rep. Lee, Barbara [CA-13]--9/17/2013
       Rep. Lewis, John [GA-5]--9/18/2013
       Rep. McGovern, James P. [MA-2]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Moore, Gwen [WI-4]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [NY-1]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Pingree, Chellie [ME-1]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Pocan, Mark [WI-2]--10/8/2013
       Rep. Rangel, Charles B. [NY-13]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Rush, Bobby L. [IL-1]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9]--9/27/2013
       Rep. Serrano, Jose E. [NY-15]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Shea-Porter, Carol [NH-1]--10/3/2013
       Rep. Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [NY-25]--9/27/2013
       Rep. Smith, Adam [WA-9]--9/20/2013
       Rep. Takano, Mark [CA-41]--10/8/2013
       Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [MS-2]--10/8/2013
       Rep. Titus, Dina [NV-1]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Vargas, Juan [CA-51]--9/18/2013
       Rep. Vela, Filemon [TX-34]--10/10/2013
       Rep. Waters, Maxine [CA-43]--9/20/2013
       Rep. Welch, Peter [VT]--10/4/2013
       Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [FL-24]--10/8/2013

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