Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019

Floor Speech

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Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, let me thank Chairman Bishop for bringing forth this bill and for his tremendous leadership.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the fiscal 2019 Agriculture appropriations bill, which provides more than $23 billion to partially reopen the government. This critical bill would ensure that struggling families do not go hungry.

Madam Speaker, there are 38 million families who rely on SNAP food stamps to help put food on the table. And while USDA has said they will pay for SNAP and WIC in February, there is no guarantee for families in March. Let's be clear. We are talking about 38 million Americans going hungry.

Already, SNAP benefits are woefully insufficient to feed a family. No one can make a meal off of $1.40 a meal, and now families may be left with nothing.

Madam Speaker, contrary to what President Trump says, food banks and charities cannot make up the difference. They are already struggling with the volume of need in our communities throughout the country. This is simply immoral.

I am reminded of a very difficult period when I was a young, single mother raising two little boys and had to rely on food stamps to get my family through some very difficult, tough times. It was a bridge over troubled water. That lifeline should be there for all families all of the time.

Our billionaire President may not know what it is like to choose between putting food on the table or gas in the car, but I tell you, I do.

And forcing the choice on families because of a manufactured showdown is unconscionable. So let's pass the bill to reopen the government. Let's get Federal employees back to work, and get them the paychecks they need.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill, and ``yes'' to reopen the government. The American people deserve no less.

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