Harkin: USDA Food Insecurity Numbers a Call to Action on Child Nutrition, Extension of Unemployment Benefits

Statement

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today released the following statement regarding the results of an annual report released by USDA's Economic Research Service titled "Food Security in the United States 2009." Among its findings, the report shows that 17.4 million households in America had difficulty providing enough food due to a lack of resources. The full report can be found here http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err108/.

"The release of USDA's food insecurity numbers underscores the continuing challenges of our economy and the ongoing need for Congress to take steps to create jobs and reinforce the shaky economic security of tens of millions of Americans. The most pressing actions that Congress must take include extending unemployment benefits, which expire at the end of this month, and sending the child nutrition reauthorization, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, to the President for his signature. While these are only a few of the things that need to be done to make the economy work for working families, extending unemployment benefits and passing a robust child nutrition reauthorization will help to ensure that families don't have to choose between paying their rent and putting food on the table."

Harkin has been a Senate leader in working to ensure unemployment benefits for those who have been out of work for an extended period, and the families of these long-term unemployed. Additionally, as a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Harkin helped to shape the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The Agriculture Committee unanimously passed the bill on March 24 of this year, and on August 5 it passed in the Senate. It must still be approved by the House before going to the President to be signed into law.

Source