End Hunger Now

Floor Speech

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Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I hope the President will start paying attention to the negative impacts of his pointless government shutdown when, in coming weeks, his actions deliver a devastating blow to some of America's most vulnerable families.

In 2018, over 40 million Americans participated in SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, or about 12 percent of the population.

When the President and Senate Republicans let USDA's funding expire, the problem didn't just affect Federal employees; it extended to low- income families, farmers, and businesses.

If this shutdown continues, 40 million Americans will be at even greater risk of food insecurity as soon as March 2019, not to mention the millions of Americans who participate in child nutrition programs like school meals and other programs like WIC, the Women Infants and Children Food and Nutrition Service.

Last week, Secretary Perdue announced that USDA only has enough money to fund SNAP until the end of February. This means that in a few short weeks, millions of American families won't know where their next meal is coming from simply because the President wanted to throw a temper tantrum over building a wall.

Now, some may ask, why panic over something that won't happen for another month? Our timing on this is crucial. Just because we have time before SNAP, child nutrition programs, or WIC lose funding does not mean that we should wait until the last minute to fix the problem.

Nearly two-thirds of SNAP participants are children, elderly, or people with disabilities. In my home State of Massachusetts, over 760,000 people receive assistance. It is a program that is crucial for low-income, hardworking families.

SNAP is often just a supplement to a person's or family's monthly food budget. The average SNAP participant receives about $126 a month, which breaks down to a little over $1.40 per person, per meal.

Believe it or not, the funds that the President is demanding for his wall could be used to pay for an entire month of food for all 40 million SNAP participants, and then some.

And while the SNAP funding problem starts with low-income families, depending on how long this shutdown continues, furloughed Federal employees themselves may temporarily need to rely on SNAP to keep food on the table.

The shutdown is also negatively impacting thousands of businesses that are seeking and updating their SNAP licenses, not to mention the negative impacts on thousands of farmers who are already feeling the backlash of the President's tariffs. These same farmers are facing further setbacks, because they will now face delays in processing and receiving the exact Federal aid that was promised to help subsidize their losses.

Madam Speaker, none of this has anything to do with the debate over border security. The President should not be holding these families hostage over this debate.

Last Thursday, the House passed a key spending bill to fund the USDA because we recognize the crippling effects that these funding gaps have on the American people. We have programs like SNAP, WIC, and Federal farm loans for a reason: because they make a difference in people's lives.

We owe it to our constituents to listen to their voices and to do the job they elected us to do, but we can't do it without the support of our Senate colleagues. Madam Speaker, our counterparts in the Senate ought to consider all that is at stake when they shut down our government. This isn't about partisanship. This is about acting in the best interest of our constituents.

Today marks the 24th day in what has become the longest Federal shutdown in our country's history, and we have nothing to show for it. What a shame. The President ought to consider the real impact his shutdown is having on Federal employees and low-income families, children, seniors, and persons with disabilities.

It is not a game, Mr. President. This isn't the art of the deal. Real people are being hurt. Real lives are being thrown into chaos. Let's reopen the government so we can have an informed and rational debate about how best to secure our southern border.

Madam Speaker, I am not going to be silent while millions of families are caught in the crosshairs of a medieval solution to the real 21st century challenges this country is facing. Families, children, farmers, and small businesses don't deserve this. We can't let this government shutdown get to a point where we fail to provide our most vulnerable citizens with the food assistance that they need to thrive. That is cruel.

Let us do the job we were sent here to do. Let's end this stupid shutdown. Let's stop families from going hungry, and let's end hunger now.

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