[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 19 (Friday, January 31, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         OPPOSING THE FARM BILL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 31, 2014

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in reluctant opposition to 
the Farm Bill. While there is much to commend in this compromise, I 
cannot in good conscience vote for a bill that cuts $8.6 billion from 
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
  I applaud all my colleagues on the Agriculture Committee for their 
hard work and long hours spent putting this agreement together. Today's 
bill makes a number of much-needed changes to our nation's agricultural 
policy. It finally ends the practice of direct payments to farmers in 
favor of real crop insurance, a laudable achievement that the 
Agriculture Committee has been working towards for over a decade. The 
bill expands support for organic foods, local farm-to-table programs, 
and farmers' market nutrition, all of which I have strongly supported 
and will continue to champion.
  This agreement also maintains important animal welfare provisions. In 
particular, I am thankful for Congressman Schrader's leadership in 
working to strip the King Amendment, which would have invalidated 
hundreds of state animal welfare laws, from the conference report. I am 
also pleased that the committee chose to include animal fighting 
restrictions that will help to forever end this abhorrent practice by 
making it a federal crime to attend an animal fighting event.
  Unfortunately, beyond these important reforms, a full third of the 
savings in this bill comes from cuts to SNAP, formerly known as food 
stamps. SNAP helps millions of Americans living in poverty put food on 
the table, including nearly 200,000 in Rhode Island. Eighty percent of 
the households receiving SNAP earn below the federal poverty level, 
making it a vital form of assistance for countless working families. 
Today's bill will have a disproportionate effect on low-income seniors, 
working poor families with children, and individuals with disabilities. 
And for those who are currently struggling to find work, many of whom 
have just seen their emergency unemployment benefits expire due to the 
inaction of this Congress, the loss of SNAP assistance could be a 
crippling blow. Rhode Island has the highest unemployment rate in the 
nation; I will not vote to make life more difficult for thousands of 
our families.
  Last year, I joined several of my colleagues in taking the SNAP 
Challenge, a commitment to living on no more than $4.50 per day in food 
costs. Every member of Congress should experience what it's like to 
subsist on this paltry amount to better understand the impacts of the 
decisions we make on the lives of our constituents. Sadly, as we 
observe the 50th Anniversary of the War on Poverty, the SNAP cuts in 
today's bill seem to be part of a war on the poor. This is only one 
element of a worrying trend from the House majority that would lead us 
toward a world where the rich take care of themselves and the poor 
fight for the scraps. I hope that my colleagues step back from this 
misguided policy before it is too late.
  Although I am unable to vote for these cuts to food assistance, I 
will continue to work with my colleagues to promote sensible 
agricultural policies that promote healthy eating, sustainable farming 
practices, and ample food for every American.

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