[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 103 (Tuesday, June 13, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H2819]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             END HUNGER NOW

  (Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I have always thought it was odd that 
doctors could prescribe medications for heart disease and diabetes but 
couldn't prescribe fresh fruits and vegetables.
  For a long time now, community-based organizations have been 
incredibly successful in using produce prescriptions to reduce hunger 
and diet-related disease. Recently, the Indian Health Service announced 
a new $2.5 million grant to make produce prescriptions available to 
more American Indian and Alaska Native peoples.
  In Indian Country, hunger is prominent. About one in four Native 
people experience food insecurity, compared to one in nine Americans 
overall.
  Last September, the Biden-Harris administration hosted the second-
ever White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.
  Within the ambitious national strategy that came out of the 
conference is a special focus on the challenges and opportunities in 
Indian Country.
  That is why I am so excited about programs like the one just 
announced by the Indian Health Service agency to end hunger among 
historically underserved communities.
  We can and we should end hunger now.

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