[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 580-581]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING FNS UNDERSECRETARY KEVIN CONCANNON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
incredible work of Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition 
and Consumer Services at the United States Department of Agriculture.
  Kevin's dedication to public service is admirable. Throughout his 
distinguished career, Kevin has not only served in Federal Government, 
but he also led Health and Human Services departments in his home State 
of Maine and in Oregon and in Iowa. Kevin also helped to advance our 
knowledge of social policy as a graduate professor at several 
universities across our country.
  Since 2009, Kevin has capably led FNS, the division of USDA 
responsible for administering and overseeing SNAP, the National School 
Breakfast and Lunch Programs, the Summer Food Service Program, WIC, The 
Emergency Food Assistance Program, and several other nutrition 
programs.
  Under Kevin's leadership, we have made significant progress in 
ensuring our most vulnerable neighbors have healthy options to feed 
their families. He helped to spur a dramatic increase in the number of 
farmers markets accepting EBT cards, thereby allowing SNAP recipients 
greater access to fruits and vegetables while also supporting local 
farmers. He also oversaw the creation of USDA's Farm to School Program, 
an effort focused on incorporating local foods in our school meal 
programs.
  During his tenure, we enacted the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, 
legislation that, for the first time in over 30 years, made much-needed 
improvements and increased access to our school meal programs.

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  Kevin oversaw our Nation's premier antihunger program, SNAP, as it 
provided millions of our neighbors with food assistance during the 
height of the Great Recession and the recovery that followed, and he 
has been a fearless advocate for the food and nutrition programs he 
oversees. When it comes to the nuances of SNAP or WIC or school meals, 
Kevin's knowledge and expertise is simply unmatched. He knows the 
issues impacting vulnerable families, and he is passionate about 
addressing hunger in this country.
  Mr. Speaker, during the past several years, I have had the privilege 
to collaborate with and learn from Kevin as we worked to address hunger 
and food insecurity in the United States. I am particularly 
appreciative of the time he took away from his office in Washington to 
join me on two summer meal tours in my home State of Massachusetts. 
Together, we visited a number of schools, parks, camps, and community 
centers supported by USDA's Summer Food Service Program that ensures 
children and teens in low-income areas have access to healthy meals 
during the summer months.
  I was always impressed by how he connected with my constituents and 
his passion for the work he does. He is, truly, a remarkable public 
servant, and he has made a real difference in the lives of millions and 
millions of people in this country.
  Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for Under Secretary Concannon's efforts on 
so many levels, but I especially appreciate all he has done to try to 
end hunger in our country. There are too many people in the United 
States of America, the richest country in the history of the world, who 
are hungry; and, quite frankly, we could all do more in this Chamber.
  Sadly, Congress too often in the past has voted in ways and advocated 
for policies that have actually made hunger worse in this country. In 
all candor, I am concerned about the future of some of these programs 
that provide food and nutrition to vulnerable citizens. I am concerned 
based on the rhetoric of leaders in this House of Representatives, and 
I am concerned by the rhetoric of the President-elect and his potential 
Cabinet. Time and time again, we have heard them talk about those in 
poverty with disdain and contempt. We have heard them denigrate the 
plight of those struggling in this country. We have heard them belittle 
their struggle. Quite frankly, that is unacceptable.
  I urge my colleagues to learn from Kevin Concannon, to be inspired by 
his example, and to do what we can all do together to try to end hunger 
now.
  I ask all of my colleagues to join me in recognizing his incredible 
accomplishments. We wish him well in his next chapter, but we will 
certainly miss his expertise and passion at FNS.

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