A Victory for Common Sense

Floor Speech

Mr. STUTZMAN. Mr. Speaker, today we have an opportunity to win a victory for common sense. For decades, business as usual has fostered an unholy alliance between food stamps and farm policy. Year after year, Washington spent money that it never had. This summer, when the House considered a trillion-dollar welfare bill that was a farm bill in name only, taxpayers had seen enough.

The American people were able to defeat business as usual by insisting that both food stamps and farm policy be considered individually and on their own merits. It's just common sense. Finally, we passed a farm-only farm bill that ended direct payments. Today, we can continue that work by passing a food stamp bill that doubles the savings that the House originally considered.

Mr. Speaker, this bill eliminates loopholes, ensures work requirements, and puts us on a fiscally responsible path. In the real world, we measure success by results. It's time for Washington to measure success by how many families are lifted out of poverty and helped back on their feet, not by how much Washington bureaucrats spend year after year.

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