[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 159 (Wednesday, October 28, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H7259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        END CHILDHOOD HUNGER NOW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, one of the greatest health challenges 
facing our country right now is hunger. We have a hunger problem in the 
United States of America.
  For far too long, we have minimized the problem. Some have even 
ignored the problem. In short, our response has been inadequate. And we 
have failed to view hunger as a health issue, which it is. For our 
Nation's youngest and most vulnerable, our children, the negative 
effects of childhood hunger are pervasive and long-lasting.
  So last week I was pleased to see the American Academy of Pediatrics 
release its newest policy statement which, for the first time, 
recommends that pediatricians screen all children for food insecurity. 
The new recommendations consist of two simple questions for 
pediatricians to ask parents of young children at their annual well 
visit to identify and address childhood hunger. It also recommends that 
pediatricians become more familiar with our robust system of antihunger 
programs at the Federal, State, and local levels. When pediatricians 
know more about these antihunger programs and the resources they 
provide, they will be better prepared to help families in need.
  Pediatricians are among the most respected, if not the most 
respected, voices on children's issues; and I hope that, with the AAP's 
policy statement, more people will start paying attention to the 
devastating effects of childhood hunger on America's future.
  It is shameful that childhood hunger even exists in this country, the 
richest country in the world, that one in five children lives in a food 
insecure household, that 17.2 million households in this country 
struggle with food insecurity, that the only reliable healthy meals 
some kids receive are the ones they get through school breakfasts or 
lunches. Their mothers and fathers are forced to skip meals so that 
their kids can have more to eat because the family simply cannot afford 
to put enough food on the table.
  The harmful effects of hunger on children are well documented: for 
example, children who live in households that are food insecure get 
sick more often, recover more slowly from illness, have poorer overall 
health, and are hospitalized more frequently.
  Children and adolescents affected by food insecurity are more likely 
to be iron deficient, and preadolescent boys dealing with hunger issues 
have lower bone density. Early childhood malnutrition is also tied to 
conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life.
  Lack of adequate healthy food can impair a child's ability to 
concentrate and perform well in school and is linked to higher levels 
of behavioral and emotional problems from preschool through 
adolescence.
  I have personally heard from pediatricians who see kids in the 
emergency room come in for a common cold that has become much worse 
because they don't have enough to eat, and their immune systems have 
been compromised. Stories like these are heartbreaking.
  Mr. Speaker, we know that consistent access to adequate nutritious 
food is one of the best medicines for growing, thriving children. 
Children's Health Watch, a national network of pediatricians and child 
health professionals, found that, in comparison to children whose 
families were eligible but did not receive SNAP, young children whose 
families received SNAP were significantly less likely to be at risk of 
being underweight or experiencing developmental delays.
  If Members of Congress are not swayed by the moral arguments for 
ending childhood hunger, they ought to be swayed by the economic ones. 
Ensuring that our kids have access to enough nutritious food saves 
money in the form of reduced healthcare costs and helps them become 
more productive contributors to our economy later in life.
  Mr. Speaker, without our robust Federal antihunger programs, there 
would no doubt be more hungry children in this country.
  The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and 
Children, or WIC, provides nutritious food and support for children and 
mothers. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is our 
Nation's premiere antihunger program and helps millions of low-income 
families afford to purchase food every month. About half of all SNAP 
recipients are children. And our school breakfast and lunch programs, 
summer meals, and Child and Adult Food Care Programs all provide 
nutritious meals to children in community, child-friendly settings.
  We can't forget about the incredible work our food banks, food 
pantries, and other charities do to provide healthy food for low-income 
children and their families. Despite the incredible work that they do, 
charities cannot do it alone. The demand is simply too great. Charities 
need a strong Federal partner to end hunger in this country.
  Mr. Speaker, for a while now, I have been urging the White House to 
convene a White House conference on food, nutrition, and hunger. We 
ought to bring antihunger groups, pediatricians, business leaders, 
teachers, hospitals, farmers, nonprofits, faith leaders, and 
governmental officials together to come up with a plan to end hunger in 
this country once and for all. I can think of no more compelling reason 
to end hunger now than for the health and well-being of America's 
children.
  In closing, I commend the American Academy of Pediatrics for working 
to solve hunger as a health issue and addressing how it affects our 
country's greatest resource: our children. We can and we should do more 
to end hunger now.

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