[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 13 (Tuesday, January 24, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H613-H614]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NO ONE IN AMERICA SHOULD GO HUNGRY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak 
about the importance of nutrition as it relates to agriculture policy 
in America. Proudly, I am the vice chairman of the House Agriculture 
Committee for the 115th Congress and chairman of the Nutrition 
Subcommittee.
  Agriculture policy is near and dear to my heart, as it is the number 
one industry in Pennsylvania. It brings nearly $6.9 billion annually in 
cash receipts to the Commonwealth. Almost half a million jobs are tied 
to the industry, which positively impacts all Pennsylvanians.
  Our farmers feed America. Farmers play a pivotal role in the 
nutrition of families in this country. According to the U.S. Department 
of Agriculture, food insecurity has decreased across the Nation in 
recent years. However, USDA found that 12.7 percent of all households 
in the United States faced hunger in 2015. Mr. Speaker, no one in 
America should go hungry.
  The Nutrition Subcommittee oversees the Supplemental Nutrition 
Assistance Program, or SNAP, which used to be referred to as food 
stamps. Over the past 2 years, under the leadership of Agriculture 
Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, this subcommittee examined what is 
working with SNAP and what could be improved. More than 43 million 
Americans rely on SNAP to put food on the table for themselves and 
their families.
  SNAP has grown from a pilot program that served just 500,000 people 
in 1964 to a program that served more than 47 million Americans at the 
height of the recession. SNAP is now the largest program under the 
Agriculture Committee's jurisdiction, accounting for almost 80 percent 
of farm bill spending, and is the largest Federal food program serving 
low-income families in the United States. SNAP is literally a lifeline 
for many of the least fortunate among us.
  During the subcommittee's examination of SNAP, it hosted more than 16 
hearings and had 60 witnesses testify. The goals of these hearings were 
to better understand SNAP and the population it serves, to review how 
SNAP utilizes cash and noncash benefits to serve that population, and 
to examine ways the program could be improved.
  Four themes emerged from the hearings:
  First, serving SNAP recipients through innovation and flexibility in

[[Page H614]]

program delivery. The need for nutrition assistance cannot be addressed 
by just one program or just one group. It requires more collaboration 
between governments, charities, businesses, health systems, 
communities, individuals, and many others.
  Second, climbing the economic ladder through work. Mr. Speaker, the 
number one leading causes of poverty are unemployment and 
underemployment. We must promote pathways to employment as the best way 
to help individuals climb the economic ladder out of poverty and into 
self-sufficiency.
  Third, maintaining program integrity. SNAP needs clear program goals 
and must be evaluated according to metrics aligned with those goals to 
generate program improvement. While we want to give States flexibility 
in administering SNAP, it should not jeopardize the overall integrity 
of the program.
  Fourth, improving food access and promoting healthy food. This theme 
really gets at the heart of the issue: Americans in both urban and 
rural communities cannot improve their diets without adequate access to 
healthy food. Offering nutrition education is essential to help SNAP 
recipients develop healthy lifestyles and healthy eating habits. There 
is so much at stake when it comes to SNAP. Most SNAP recipients face 
more challenges than food insecurity. They also face housing, utility, 
transportation, and child care costs, among others.
  Through the subcommittee's thorough investigation, we were able to 
fully review how to deliver SNAP to those who need it most. We also 
examined ways to keep the program viable for years to come. The 
nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office currently projects that SNAP 
will cost an average of $69.75 billion per year over the next 10 years, 
making it the largest Federal food program serving low-income families 
in the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, I recently volunteered at the Central Pennsylvania Food 
Bank to help area veterans and their families to ensure they do not go 
hungry. When we help meet the nutritional needs of military families, 
it allows them to focus on other pressing issues. The same goes for all 
families in America.
  I am committed to ensuring that SNAP continues to work for those who 
need it most, and to make certain that the program remains viable for 
decades to come. I look forward to getting to work on this in the 115th 
Congress.

                          ____________________