[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1496]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        FAREWELL TO SCOTT GRAVES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I just came back from the 
organizing committee meeting with my good friend from California for 
the House Agriculture Committee. I appreciate the opportunity to work 
with this gentleman and all of the folks who serve on that committee 
that really provides policy to our Nation's agriculture industry.
  It is about making sure that Americans have access to affordable, 
high quality, and safe food. I actually look at the Agriculture 
Committee as well as having a dual mission of making sure that the 
rural economies of our Nation are robust or successful.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to say thank you and farewell to Scott Graves, 
staff director of the House Agriculture Committee, an individual who 
served well for many years.
  Mr. Speaker, as you know, there is a right way to do business here in 
the House, and Scott Graves has understood what it takes to manage the 
Agriculture Committee, the chairman's personal affairs and agenda. But 
he also has found time to help out members of this committee from both 
sides of the aisle.
  Knowing is one thing; execution is everything.
  I have always been impressed with the way we have been able to work 
on the committee in a bipartisan manner for the good of agriculture, 
and 320 million Americans have benefited from safety, innovation, and 
forward thinking of the agriculture industry.
  Under Scott's leadership, he made this look easy. Now, as he embarks 
upon the next step in his career, I wish Scott Graves all the best, his 
wife, his little boy, and his little one to be born later this year.
  The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a slogan on every road sign 
entering the State, and the sign reads, ``You've got a friend in 
Pennsylvania.'' Well, Scott, you don't have to drive far, but realize 
this holds true for me and all of my staff, you've got a friend in 
Pennsylvania.


                 SNAP Helps Lift People Out of Poverty

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the 
Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition for the 115th Congress, I am 
confident that we must work to ensure that the Supplemental Nutrition 
Assistance Program known as SNAP is meeting the needs of those that it 
is intended to serve.
  The House Agriculture Committee hearings have highlighted how 
nutrition matters and the specific ways that vulnerable populations are 
well served by a strong, sound, and reliable food program.
  SNAP serves a diverse population who share a common need for 
nutritional support beyond what is available based on personal means, 
family support, and community resources.
  Now, according to a 2015 USDA report, 42.7 percent of SNAP recipients 
are children, while single parent households are more susceptible to 
food insecurity, especially those who are single mothers. Two-parent 
families also struggle, at times, to put food on the table.
  Children whose households face food insecurity, face both negative 
developmental and health consequences.
  A child's future success goes beyond what any single government 
program can or should achieve. SNAP is not the only means of breaking 
the cycle of poverty, but it certainly plays a key role in increasing 
food security for children.
  Mr. Speaker, for me, SNAP is not merely a food program but a pathway 
that works to lift people out of poverty. It is a tool for the better 
health and development of our children who deserve no less.

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