[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6941]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

  (Mr. DEUTCH asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DEUTCH. Madam Speaker, I stand here today because the 
Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, SNAP, is not a form of 
government waste. There is nothing wasteful about a program that, 
through providing modest assistance to low-income families, has nearly 
eliminated severe hunger in the United States of America.
  The average SNAP benefit provides only $1.40 per meal. Already, this 
forces many seniors and families with young children to skip meals 
throughout the week or face a shortage in food by the end of the month. 
We already know that children who go hungry are more likely to struggle 
in school and face serious health problems and less likely to escape 
poverty as adults.
  The GOP's proposed cuts to SNAP of $20 billion amount to punishing 
children who struggle with hunger that is beyond their control. Don't 
we have a national interest in protecting families who are struggling 
to feed themselves?
  Our budget is a moral document. And, Madam Speaker, there is nothing 
moral about abandoning America's families and American children who are 
struggling with hunger.

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