Jackie Speier: “In my district, California 14, we have about 4,000 families who are on food stamps. But some of my colleagues have…”

“In my district, California 14, we have about 4,000 families who are on food stamps. But some of my colleagues have thousands and thousands more; yet they somehow feel like crusaders and heroes when they vote to cut food stamps. Some of these same Members travel to foreign countries under the guise of official business. They dine at lavish restaurants, eating steak, vodka, and even caviar. They receive money to do this. That's right. They don't pay out of pocket for these meals. Let me give you a few examples. One Member was given $127.41 a day for food on his trip to Argentina. He probably had a fair amount of steak. Another Member was given $3,588 for food and lodging during a 6-day trip to Russia. He probably drank a fair amount of vodka and probably even had some caviar. That particular Member has 21,000 food stamp recipients in his district. One of those people who is on food stamps could live a year on what this Congressman spent on food and lodging for 6 days. Another 20 Members made a trip to Dublin, Ireland. They got $166 a day for food. These Members didn't pay a dime. They received $50, $100, almost $200 for a single meal only for themselves. Yet for them, the idea of helping fellow Americans spend less than $5 a day makes their skin crawl. The faces of families of veterans, of farmers, of the disabled, of the working poor are not visible to them, not even when they are their own constituents.…”