The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“NO ONE IN AMERICA SHOULD GO HUNGRY” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H613-H614 on Jan. 24, 2017.
The Department is primarily focused on food nutrition, with assistance programs making up 80 percent of its budget. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department implements too many regulations and restrictions and impedes the economy.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
NO ONE IN AMERICA SHOULD GO HUNGRY
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the importance of nutrition as it relates to agriculture policy in America. Proudly, I am the vice chairman of the House Agriculture Committee for the 115th Congress and chairman of the Nutrition Subcommittee.
Agriculture policy is near and dear to my heart, as it is the number one industry in Pennsylvania. It brings nearly $6.9 billion annually in cash receipts to the Commonwealth. Almost half a million jobs are tied to the industry, which positively impacts all Pennsylvanians.
Our farmers feed America. Farmers play a pivotal role in the nutrition of families in this country. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food insecurity has decreased across the Nation in recent years. However, USDA found that 12.7 percent of all households in the United States faced hunger in 2015. Mr. Speaker, no one in America should go hungry.
The Nutrition Subcommittee oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which used to be referred to as food stamps. Over the past 2 years, under the leadership of Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, this subcommittee examined what is working with SNAP and what could be improved. More than 43 million Americans rely on SNAP to put food on the table for themselves and their families.
SNAP has grown from a pilot program that served just 500,000 people in 1964 to a program that served more than 47 million Americans at the height of the recession. SNAP is now the largest program under the Agriculture Committee's jurisdiction, accounting for almost 80 percent of farm bill spending, and is the largest Federal food program serving low-income families in the United States. SNAP is literally a lifeline for many of the least fortunate among us.
During the subcommittee's examination of SNAP, it hosted more than 16 hearings and had 60 witnesses testify. The goals of these hearings were to better understand SNAP and the population it serves, to review how SNAP utilizes cash and noncash benefits to serve that population, and to examine ways the program could be improved.
Four themes emerged from the hearings:
First, serving SNAP recipients through innovation and flexibility in program delivery. The need for nutrition assistance cannot be addressed by just one program or just one group. It requires more collaboration between governments, charities, businesses, health systems, communities, individuals, and many others.
Second, climbing the economic ladder through work. Mr. Speaker, the number one leading causes of poverty are unemployment and underemployment. We must promote pathways to employment as the best way to help individuals climb the economic ladder out of poverty and into self-sufficiency.
Third, maintaining program integrity. SNAP needs clear program goals and must be evaluated according to metrics aligned with those goals to generate program improvement. While we want to give States flexibility in administering SNAP, it should not jeopardize the overall integrity of the program.
Fourth, improving food access and promoting healthy food. This theme really gets at the heart of the issue: Americans in both urban and rural communities cannot improve their diets without adequate access to healthy food. Offering nutrition education is essential to help SNAP recipients develop healthy lifestyles and healthy eating habits. There is so much at stake when it comes to SNAP. Most SNAP recipients face more challenges than food insecurity. They also face housing, utility, transportation, and child care costs, among others.
Through the subcommittee's thorough investigation, we were able to fully review how to deliver SNAP to those who need it most. We also examined ways to keep the program viable for years to come. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office currently projects that SNAP will cost an average of $69.75 billion per year over the next 10 years, making it the largest Federal food program serving low-income families in the United States.
Mr. Speaker, I recently volunteered at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to help area veterans and their families to ensure they do not go hungry. When we help meet the nutritional needs of military families, it allows them to focus on other pressing issues. The same goes for all families in America.
I am committed to ensuring that SNAP continues to work for those who need it most, and to make certain that the program remains viable for decades to come. I look forward to getting to work on this in the 115th Congress.
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