[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 14, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H1741-H1742]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   KEEPING FOOD ON AMERICANS' TABLES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, last month, the House 
Agriculture Committee hosted its first, or at least more fulsome, 
attempt at publicly reviewing the pandemic and Congress' response.
  This pandemic has infiltrated our lives in every sense possible. 
Unfortunately, the brunt of it was borne by our communities and, in 
particular, families already living paycheck to paycheck. In too many 
instances, arrogant career politicians issued statewide, indiscriminate 
edicts, forcing businesses and schools to shut their doors, plummeting 
our communities into a deep recession.
  As the end of the pandemic nears, I hope we can use what we learned 
in that hearing to provide these families with more holistic services, 
particularly as they engage in a postpandemic economy that will look 
wildly different.
  The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, currently 
provides nutrition assistance to 43 million individuals, with an 
average individual benefit of $183. Total SNAP-related spending in 
fiscal year 2020 was $78.9 billion, which includes benefits, 
administration, nutrition education, employment and training, and 
program integrity. Of that $78.9 billion, $74.2 billion was solely for 
benefits.
  By way of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the 
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, and the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, more than $37.8 billion has 
been appropriated to respond to the supplemental nutrition assistance 
needs of our communities.
  This monumental response is in addition to the more than $7.7 billion 
per month in standard SNAP benefits. Beyond direct funding from 
Congress, the former and current administrations have issued more than 
4,000 administrative waivers to States. These waivers impact operations 
related to program eligibility, distribution of benefits, employment 
and training, and more.
  These facts are startling. Combined with myriad social service 
policies, including those found in the shortsighted, outrageously naive 
American Rescue Plan, we are in the midst of our Nation's second-
largest expansion of entitlements.
  Unsurprisingly, leading economists and Wall Street analysts have said 
key parts of that bill are poorly targeted to the specific needs of the 
crisis. As a friend in southwest Missouri recently said, unnecessary 
rescue diminishes a person's dignity and, if repeated enough, gives way 
to debilitating dependency.
  The witnesses who joined us for the hearing are our everyday heroes. 
They are the folks who responded without hesitation to the needs of 
their communities infested by a pandemic that took the lives of 
hundreds of thousands of our friends, neighbors, and family members. 
Whether it be the farmer who chose to donate their crop or the food 
bank that opened additional sites to be more accommodating, the 
witnesses who testified deserve our thanks.
  I must also applaud the Department, particularly the former 
administration. Like it or lump it, the bulk of the

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response originated in the last Congress under President Trump. Quick-
thinking folks implemented Pandemic-EBT and the Farmers to Families 
Food Box Program, two projects that remain remarkably beneficial to 
families in need.
  The latter, apparently terminating this morning, as I found out 
through the press, fell victim to inconceivable criticism. There is 
always room for more solutions to the needs of our Nation.
  The Farmers to Families Food Box Program had open eligibility, making 
certain anyone and everyone in need, regardless of status, income, or 
household size, has supplementary access to meat, dairy, and produce in 
an unprecedented time of crisis. This program provided more than 156 
million boxes to households across the United States. With this 
program, farmers were able to redirect their products, and American 
workers were able to sustain their employment or join new ventures, all 
to ensure fresh foods found their way into the homes of millions in 
need.
  Regardless of the cherry-picked hiccups this committee and USDA's 
listening sessions were made aware of, the program worked exactly as 
intended. Shamefully, and because this was the brainchild of President 
Trump, the Biden administration has decided again to ignore rural 
America and continue to fund programs that favor billion-dollar 
organizations in the cities that they serve.

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