Political Quotes

“I rise today in opposition to amendment No. 991, filed by my colleague, the junior Senator from South Dakota. This amendment would eliminate $2 billion from SNAP by limiting the funds available for cost-effective nutrition education programs. While I appreciate and share my colleague's deep commitment to deficit reduction, this amendment would do so at the expense of those who can least afford it. It is a shortsighted amendment pennywise and pound foolish. A $2 billion cut to this program would chip away at vital programs that combat obesity, a growing epidemic that weighs on our health care system and our economy. Estimates of the medical cost of adult obesity in the United States range from $147 billion to nearly $210 billion per year, according to the Trust for America's Health. Cutting this program may save money in the short term, but it would cripple ongoing efforts to deliver innovative and effective nutrition education to the most vulnerable populations in our country. And these education programs are working, Madam President. According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, USDA's SNAP nutrition education programs contributed to a 17 percent increase in the number of California adults who ate at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. The study showed that the greatest improvements in daily fruit and vegetable consumption were seen in populations with the greatest need.…”