[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4880]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          FARM BILL CONFERENCE

  (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, get this. The Secretary of Agriculture has 
publicly stated that he is not enthusiastic about increasing spending 
for nutrition programs above the $9.5 billion currently being discussed 
as part of the farm bill conference. I have news for the Secretary. 
Families going to food banks aren't enthusiastic about their struggles. 
People applying for food stamps aren't enthusiastic about the tough 
choices they are forced to make because their food stamp benefit isn't 
keeping up with the price of milk. Seniors aren't enthusiastic about 
having to take their medicines on an empty stomach.
  The Secretary should get out more into the real world and meet with 
some of these families. $9.5 billion is simply not enough, not when 
families are choosing between food and heat; not when the minimum food 
stamp benefit is still $10 a month, unchanged since 1977; not when the 
price of milk eats more of the food stamp dollar today, than last year, 
simply because food stamps aren't indexed for inflation.
  The farm bill conferees should do the right thing and properly fund 
the nutrition title. Anything less is shameful.

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