The More Hunger, Less Opportunity Act

Floor Speech

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) for 5 minutes.

Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to strongly oppose the deep and extreme cuts to nutrition programs that, once again, are being brought to the floor by the Republican majority. H.R. 3102, what we call the ``More Hunger, Less Opportunity Act,'' takes a bad idea and makes it worse, cutting billions--literally billions--of dollars in aid for the working poor, people who struggle every single day, literally, to put food on the table.

This bill is heartless. It has gone from bad to worse. We've seen this movie before. In June, when the Republicans brought $20 billion in cuts to the floor as a part of the farm bill, it derailed the farm bill, broke what had been a bipartisan effort for as long as anybody around here can remember. And now, $40 billion in cuts.

Three-quarters of the households receiving SNAP include a child, a senior, somebody who is disabled. This legislation literally punishes those folks. Republicans desire, for whatever reason--incomprehensible to many of us--to deprive even the neediest Americans with a basic necessity: food. It has, as I said, derailed the farm bill process and now has the chance to risk hurting more Americans. This bill would shamefully and literally take food out of the mouths of nearly 4 million children, seniors, and disabled.

I urge my colleagues--Republicans and Democrats--to join me in opposing this legislation.

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