Weekends Without Hunger Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I rise today in opposition to H.R. 5012. To refresh my colleagues' memories, just last week the House sent the reauthorization of child nutrition and school meal programs to the President for his signature. That bill spent an additional $4.5 billion and added more than a dozen new programs. It was a significant expansion of Federal child nutrition programs at a time when the American people have told us to stop growing government and, instead, to make current programs better rather than simply layering on new programs.

Every Member of this Chamber wants to fight childhood hunger and promote healthy school meals, but adding one more program in a long line of new programs is not the way to do that. We could have debated this bill, along with several other proposals, during floor consideration of child nutrition legislation last week, if only this majority did not insist on stifling debate with closed rules.

Unfortunately, just like the responsible Republican alternative, this program was not considered at the time it should have been during that debate. Instead, we are here today debating whether to add yet another program to the ever-expanding Federal Government under this majority. This is another new program to add to the list of new programs created just last week.

The Federal Government supports numerous programs to feed children in school, after school and during the summer. If the majority did not see fit to include this new program when it reauthorized child nutrition programs last week, I do not see how we can justify its creation today and urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.

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