Threats to SNAP Program

Floor Speech

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Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Raskin for putting this Special Order hour together. I thank him for his commitment and for his concern.

I join all of my colleagues in opposing what is being proposed in terms of this farm bill.

Three weeks ago, my Republican colleagues on the House Agriculture Committee sat silently while Chairman Conaway introduced a partisan farm bill. Then they allowed him to preach about the many reasons why he feels that SNAP should be transformed from a feeding program to a work program, uninterrupted.

Then they voted for this flawed bill that takes food off of the tables of veterans, seniors, and children. Now they want to pass it through the House and push it forward with their agenda to starve our Nation's most vulnerable.

My Republican colleagues ought to be ashamed of this because Proverbs 22:9 says: ``The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.''

I have said it once, and I will say it again: I don't believe that the Lord is pleased with what we are considering in this bill.

In my home county of Mecklenburg, North Carolina, more than 162,000 people are considered food insecure. Worse, 50,000 of those are children.

In my community, more than 55,000 families depend on SNAP to help put food on their tables. No one should wonder where their next meal will come from. But, sadly, this is a reality for many, many people.

Last year, North Carolina Republicans introduced a bill on the State level that would have a similar impact to this partisan farm bill. Analysis of that bill shows that roughly 130,000 North Carolinians will lose their SNAP benefits if this bill passes, including 50,000 children.

Nationwide, the impact of this bill would even be worse: kicking 2 million people out of the program and causing an estimated 265,000 children to lose free or reduced lunch at school. So, no work, no eat?

If we are lawmakers and we aren't protecting our Nation's children, then I don't think we deserve to be here.

Republicans continue to push the idea that we need entitlement reform just to appease the Speaker. Well, I understand the Speaker has announced his retirement, and I would like for us to just retire the idea that this so-called reform is just numbers on a page because it is not. Real people depend on SNAP programs and, without it, they will go hungry. No one can expect to work if they are hungry. No child can expect to learn if the child is hungry.

More than $8 in $10 in nutrition assistance go to households that include a child, a senior, or a person with a disability. Additionally, many working Americans depend on SNAP to make ends meet in expensive cities where earning the minimum wage doesn't pay all of the bills. People work two and three jobs a day at minimum wage, leave work, and go to a food bank to eat.

Additionally, many American families depend on SNAP. Working hard is not enough if you don't make enough.

Instead of punishing working Americans, let's address the cause of the issue, and let's raise the minimum wage to a living wage.

Mr. Speaker, I join my Democratic colleagues in urging Chairman Conaway to scrap this flawed bill and return it to the drawing board. We can, and we should, craft a bipartisan farm bill that benefits all communities.

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Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Raskin is so absolutely right. I think that is why people have generally lost faith in their government.

I mentioned a Scripture from the Bible, but there are 3,000 references--more than 3,000--that speak to how we should treat the poor. We are, I think, being derelict in terms of our duties. Yes, there seems to be a lot of corruption going on. We are not placing our priorities on the people. We are putting profits over people. That is so unfortunate because we were elected to serve everyone, including the poor.

The poor will be with us always. We have a responsibility to reach out and to give a helping hand, a help up. We are not talking about people who some folks think are lazy and they are not working. They are working, and they are the caregivers of the children.

Children live in poverty because their parents do. We must ensure that we can help those adults who help our children. We want our children to go to school and we want them to do well. Children will not do well if their stomach growls because they are hungry.

Mr. Speaker, I think Mr. Raskin is right. We have two worlds here: the haves and the have-nots. It is time to give something to those who have not.

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Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, there are probably some lazy folks in here, too.

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Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Raskin for those comments.

One of the reasons that I wanted to serve on the Agriculture Committee was because of the issues that are impacted not only in my district but throughout this Nation. Having so many people who are food insecure gave us an opportunity, I think, to do good in this farm bill. It is my understanding that we have never had a bill that was not bipartisan, and I think we need to think about that. The citizens of this country are looking to us to do what is right because it is the right thing to do.

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Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Raskin is exactly right. Hunger is not a partisan issue.

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