Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act

Floor Speech

Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. Chair, the Farm Bill that we are considering today includes massive cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program--$20.5 billion to be exact.

I am offering an amendment that will help us understand the repercussions of these drastic cuts.

My amendment will require the Secretary of Agriculture to report to Congress on the effects of SNAP cuts on charitable food providers, like food banks and soup kitchens. Should these devastating cuts become law, it is common sense that we should know the consequences--my amendment is about taking responsibility.

There is little room to cut this vital program. The average SNAP benefit is now only $4.50 a day. That's just $1.50 a meal. And this benefit will get even lower in November when the 2009 Recovery Act increase expires.

The reality is that these cuts will significantly increase demand on charitable food providers who are already stretched to the limit trying to meet the needs of our communities during this tough economic time.

These providers are facing the perfect storm--over the past few years demand for their services has been increasing as the federal, state and local, and private funding they depend on has dwindled. Higher food and fuel prices are also making it harder for them to purchase and distribute food.

Charities simply do not have the resources to fill the growing funding gaps. This means that when the SNAP program faces further cuts, hungry Americans will have nowhere else to turn.

I hope every Member in this body will agree that in the wealthiest nation in the world, no American child should go to school hungry and no parent should have to make the difficult decision between paying rent or paying for groceries. This is simply unconscionable.

At this point we've all heard the numbers--these cuts will end food aid for nearly 2 million Americans and cut 210,000 children off of school lunch and breakfast programs.

This is a very personal issue for me. I was one of those hungry children. My father lost his job when I was a teenager and it was food stamps that kept me from going hungry. Food stamps, school breakfast and school lunch were there for me so I could worry about school instead of hunger. They nourished me so I could develop the skills to serve our country in the Army, the VA, and here in Congress.

This is also very personal for many of my constituents like Christine from Elgin, Illinois. It is because of her SNAP benefits and the Willow Creek Community Church's Food Pantry that Christine is able to provide food for her family. Her husband was laid off from the manufacturing company he worked at for 29 years.

Christine, who is now disabled, can no longer work as a Nursing Assistant. Theirs is one of 3,000 families that Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois serves per month.

It is personal for the husband and wife who now count on SNAP benefits and the Church of the Holy Spirit Food Pantry in Schaumburg, IL after the husband lost his job as an electrician due to nerve damage in his hand, and they saw their savings quickly drain.

It is personal for the hard working employees and volunteers at the Greater Chicago Food Depository who serve 77 percent more people today than they did in 2008.

These stories are just a tiny sample. Forty-seven million Americans--most of whom are children, elderly or disabled--rely on the SNAP program.

These cuts are not just numbers on a page. They affect real human beings. They will have devastating consequences for real families.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and face the reality of what these devastating cuts will mean for families and charities all across the country.

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