[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11491-11492]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       SNAP CUTS IN HOUSE BUDGET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, just weeks after President Trump released 
his devastating budget which guts SNAP, our Nation's first line of 
defense against hunger, House Republicans have joined in that effort, 
proposing drastic cuts to our anti-hunger safety net in the budget that 
they marked up last week.
  In their budget, House Republicans have laid out their dangerous 
agenda: dramatic increases in defense spending and tax cuts for 
millionaires, billionaires, and corporations--all paid for by cuts to 
programs that help working families and those struggling to make ends 
meet.
  Among the proposed cuts, House Republicans are seeking $160 billion 
in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as 
SNAP, over 10 years. $150 billion of these cuts come from structural 
changes to SNAP and harsher work requirements and time limits, and an 
additional $10 billion would be fast-tracked through the reconciliation 
process.
  Mr. Speaker, SNAP is not an ATM. It is not money to be used for tax 
breaks for the wealthy, additional weapons

[[Page 11492]]

systems, or any corporate handouts. It is intended to help our most 
vulnerable neighbors purchase groceries and put food on the table when 
times are tough. Simply put, SNAP helps people eat.
  For a meager $1.40 per person, per meal, SNAP helps alleviate 
poverty, reduce hunger, and improve nutrition. It is one of the most 
efficient and effective Federal programs. But it is only $1.40 per 
person, per meal. And my friends are proposing more cuts in this 
program?
  Mr. Speaker, I serve as the ranking member on the House Agriculture 
Committee, Subcommittee on Nutrition. Since 2015, the committee has 
held 23 hearings on SNAP. In our hearings, we have heard from over 80 
witnesses--Republican and Democrat--about ways to make SNAP even 
better. But none of these witnesses--not one--ever suggested changes 
like the ones proposed by President Trump and House Republicans.
  These Republican proposals are mean-spirited, and they are just as 
heartless as they are reckless. They do not reflect the realities of 
the program or seek to understand the challenges faced by those living 
in poverty. They don't help struggling Americans find work, and they 
certainly don't help address the ``benefit cliff,'' as some of my 
Republican colleagues have proposed doing.
  If Republicans were genuinely interested in helping struggling 
families rise out of poverty, they would join Democrats in advocating 
for higher wages, more jobs, and better work supports like childcare 
and transportation. They would address affordable housing shortages and 
help to improve access to healthcare. They would increase investments 
in job training and career and technical education. They would finally 
work with us to make college more affordable.
  But instead of working on these priorities, House Republicans are 
hell-bent on pursuing an agenda that belittles the struggles of the 
working poor and tears apart our safety net. Their awful budget is no 
exception.
  Under the guise of ``State flexibility,'' their budget proposes a 
block grant-like approach to administering SNAP.
  Make no mistake, block-granting SNAP would make hunger worse in this 
country, plain and simple. It would undermine the successful structure 
of SNAP--its ability to expand as the economy struggles and contract in 
times of economic prosperity. The proposed structural changes would 
likely result in drastic funding cuts and reduced eligibility for the 
program.
  If State flexibility is the true goal, then my Republican friends are 
in luck. SNAP already has a number of options that States can adopt. 
What is ironic is some of these State exceptions are exactly the 
provisions House Republicans are seeking to do away with.
  The Republican budget also calls for additional work requirements of 
SNAP, relying on dangerous rhetoric that suggests that hardworking 
families who rely on modest food benefits don't want to work or are 
somehow lazy. That couldn't be farther from the truth.
  I would like to point out that the majority of people on SNAP who can 
work, do work. Most people on SNAP are not expected to work or cannot 
work--they are kids, senior citizens, and people who are disabled. But 
that is exactly who Republicans will hurt if these dangerous proposals 
advance.
  If we are talking about how we can help transition people who can 
work into the workforce, you don't do that by cutting the program by 
billions of dollars or by cutting people off from food aid. That does 
nothing to help people find jobs. It only makes people hungry.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my Republican colleagues to join me in rejecting 
these damaging cuts, and to support investments in our anti-hunger 
safety net that will help end hunger now.

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