OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Floor Speech

Date: Sept. 18, 2013
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Unemployed and Low-Income Entitlements and the Safety Net Food Processing and Sales

Ms. HANABUSA. Mr. Speaker, sometimes we use words like ``SNAP,'' and people don't know what it means. SNAP means Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It's supplemental to what people receive. Nutrition, that's its main purpose, and it just gives assistance.

What we are proposing to vote on is a bill that would cut $40 billion from SNAP. What it means--and this is something that's very important for us to recognize--is it means children will lose access to things like free school lunches. For some children, that's the best meal of the day that they have. We know hundreds of thousands will lose that.

Mr. Speaker, 1.7 million people, 850,000 households will be reduced by $90 a month. Think about your own budgets and think about what $90 will mean for a family that needs assistance. And in addition, this bill will ask disabled people to work 20 hours a week before they can even qualify for supplemental nutrition assistance.

Mr. Speaker, this is a mean-spirited measure, and Congress should not be defined by that.


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