SNAP Cuts

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise again today to decry the majority's war on the poor, especially those women who get up every single day and struggle as mothers, often are caretakers for elderly parents, who are juggling two and three minimum wage jobs at $7.25 an hour to take care of their families, and then being told that they are welfare cheats because they need assistance from programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in order to meet basic food needs. The last time I checked, Mr. Speaker, food was not a luxury, but a basic life necessity.

In a few weeks, this House will take up a bill which has been designated H.R. 2, an enumeration which reflects the majority's priorities. Now, as you recall, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1 was reserved for the over $1 trillion tax giveaway we gave to corporations and to the wealthy. And as has been noted earlier in our morning hour, we are facing a sovereign debt crisis because that bill will thrust us into trillions of dollars of debt in the future.

So what does H.R. 2 do?

H.R. 2 makes very harmful changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, cutting $23 billion in funding, reducing eligibility, and to generate resentment against the poor so that these draconian cuts will be tolerated by the public. After all, we have to pay for H.R. 1 some kind of way, so H.R. 2 is the solution. The numerous ideological and unproven policies that simply stigmatize and punish the poor are what constitutes H.R. 2, along with the $23 billion cut.

Now, just let me say, Mr. Speaker, I want to remind you that the majority of SNAP participants are children, seniors, and people with disabilities. These are individuals who will not be part of any workforce. No matter how mean-spirited you decide to be, Mr. Speaker, and no matter how many of these ill-advised work policies you put in place, a 7-year-old cannot work; someone disabled cannot work; someone 68, 69 years old may not be able to find a job that an employer will provide for them.

And of the rest of those who receive SNAP, let's talk about the facts. More than half of SNAP households have at least one working age disabled adult in it while receiving SNAP. More than 80 percent work in the year before or after receiving SNAP. Work rates are even higher for families with children where more than 60 percent work. Work, Mr. Speaker, while receiving SNAP.

Yet, we have H.R. 2, which requires work requirements. And yet, we talk about how to extend and make the safety net better for farmers in our farm bill. But here comes more proposals to restrict eligibility, reduce benefits, cap or reduce funding, and alter SNAP's core purpose--to help struggling Americans when tough times hit--and tough times are right now, Mr. Speaker.

The fact is that for low-income families, every single dollar counts, no matter where these families live. If they are urban families, they are rural families, tens of millions of Americans who are old and young, hunger sees no gender, race, religion, or culture. And, Mr. Speaker, there are hungry Republicans as well.

I just want to send a reality check to our colleagues who are running around the country praising their tax cuts for the wealthy. Poverty and joblessness remains a stark reality in our country, and the populations that have the highest levels of poverty and unemployment, including older Americans, are the ones most affected. Punishing disadvantaged families will not break the grip of poverty.

Mr. Speaker, I urge us to reject these cuts.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source