[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 68 (Thursday, April 26, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H3583-H3584]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               SNAP CUTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Wisconsin (Ms. Moore) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise again today to decry the majority's 
war on the poor, especially those women who get up every single day and 
struggle as mothers, often are caretakers for elderly parents, who are 
juggling two and three minimum wage jobs at $7.25 an hour to take care 
of their families, and then being told that they are welfare cheats 
because they need assistance from programs like the Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program in order to meet basic food needs. The 
last time I checked, Mr. Speaker, food was not a luxury, but a basic 
life necessity.
  In a few weeks, this House will take up a bill which has been 
designated H.R. 2, an enumeration which reflects the majority's 
priorities. Now, as you recall, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1 was reserved for 
the over $1 trillion tax giveaway we gave to corporations and to the 
wealthy. And as has been noted earlier in our morning hour, we are 
facing a sovereign debt crisis because that bill will thrust us into 
trillions of dollars of debt in the future.
  So what does H.R. 2 do?
  H.R. 2 makes very harmful changes to the Supplemental Nutrition 
Assistance Program, cutting $23 billion in funding, reducing 
eligibility, and to generate resentment against the poor so that these 
draconian cuts will be tolerated by the public. After all, we have to 
pay for H.R. 1 some kind of way, so H.R. 2 is the solution. The 
numerous ideological and unproven policies that simply stigmatize and 
punish the poor are what constitutes H.R. 2, along with the $23 billion 
cut.
  Now, just let me say, Mr. Speaker, I want to remind you that the 
majority of SNAP participants are children, seniors, and people with 
disabilities. These are individuals who will not be part of any 
workforce. No matter how mean-spirited you decide to be, Mr. Speaker, 
and no matter how many of these ill-advised work policies you put in 
place, a 7-year-old cannot work; someone disabled cannot work; someone 
68, 69 years old may not be able to find a job that an employer will 
provide for them.
  And of the rest of those who receive SNAP, let's talk about the 
facts. More than half of SNAP households have at least one working age 
disabled adult in it while receiving SNAP. More than 80 percent work in 
the year before or after receiving SNAP. Work rates are even higher for 
families with children where more than 60 percent work. Work, Mr. 
Speaker, while receiving SNAP.
  Yet, we have H.R. 2, which requires work requirements. And yet, we 
talk about how to extend and make the

[[Page H3584]]

safety net better for farmers in our farm bill. But here comes more 
proposals to restrict eligibility, reduce benefits, cap or reduce 
funding, and alter SNAP's core purpose--to help struggling Americans 
when tough times hit--and tough times are right now, Mr. Speaker.
  The fact is that for low-income families, every single dollar counts, 
no matter where these families live. If they are urban families, they 
are rural families, tens of millions of Americans who are old and 
young, hunger sees no gender, race, religion, or culture. And, Mr. 
Speaker, there are hungry Republicans as well.
  I just want to send a reality check to our colleagues who are running 
around the country praising their tax cuts for the wealthy. Poverty and 
joblessness remains a stark reality in our country, and the populations 
that have the highest levels of poverty and unemployment, including 
older Americans, are the ones most affected. Punishing disadvantaged 
families will not break the grip of poverty.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge us to reject these cuts.

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