[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 29, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING THE 51ST PASSAGE OF THE ``FOOD STAMP ACT''

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 29, 2015

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 51st 
anniversary of the ``Food Stamp Act'' of 1964, an act that strengthened 
the agricultural economy and improved levels of nutrition among low 
income households.
  This impactful legislative achievement was passed by the historic 
88th Congress of the United States, and signed into law by President 
Lyndon B. Johnson on August 31, 1964.
  During the 1960's our nation was in the midst of the biggest 
legislative civil rights battle since the ratification of the 14th 
amendment of the Constitution, which addressed citizenship rights and 
equal protection under the law.
  Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to imagine that during a time where the 
country was experiencing its largest uninterrupted period of economic 
expansion, American families were battling a war on poverty.
  Leaders like President Johnson, who himself grew up in a poverty 
stricken family in Stonewall, Texas, had a firsthand account of these 
struggles that many American families faced on a daily basis.
  President Johnson took action and pursued an agenda, which he called 
``The Great Society.''
  The ``Food Stamp Act'' is a legislative victory for his agenda that 
benefits those Americans who are living below the poverty line, by 
providing a sustainable source of food.
  The impact of this legislation was simple; it helped put food on 
tables.
  In my city of Houston, Texas, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 
Program (SNAP) has helped establish nine major Food Banks that serve 
the city and its citizens with providing the much needed access to 
nutrition for families and individuals who otherwise would be unable to 
afford it without programs created by the ``Food Stamp Act.''
  As President Johnson remarked when he signed this act that it, ``weds 
the best of the humanitarian instincts of the American people with the 
best of the free enterprise system.''
  The most important benefactors of this program have been the children 
of this nation.
  The ``Food Stamp Act'' at the time when it was signed into law 
assisted 17 million children by giving them access to hot lunches in 
their schools.
  For many of these children this was the first time they had a lunch 
while at school.
  Mr. Speaker, hunger in our nation does not see color or sex or 
religion. This is a problem that affects us all no matter our 
background.
  While simultaneously strengthening our markets for the farmers, the 
``Food Stamp Act'' has immeasurably improved the volume of retail food 
sales in our nation and around the world.
  Our national food abundance should be continuously used 
constructively not only to combat hunger in our communities but also to 
help other nations through trade as well as to assist them in providing 
lunches for some 40 million school children throughout the developing 
world.
  Mr. Speaker, this is why I am proud to remember the positive impact 
that the ``Food Stamp Act'' has had on our communities, and nation as a 
whole, along with the millions of lives it has improved over the 
decades.

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