Andre Carson: “today is Valentine's Day, representing our heart. I would like to extend my heart to all of the Members of the United…”

“today is Valentine's Day, representing our heart. I would like to extend my heart to all of the Members of the United States Congress. The President's budget does not, in fact, reflect a warm heart, as it eliminates funding for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. Each month, CSFP provides over 475,000 low-income individuals with nutritious food packages; 85 percent of the recipients are seniors, all with income levels below a meager $12,400 per year. In Indiana, 4,979 seniors are currently enrolled in this program. Next year, they could go hungry if the program is eliminated. The budget proposal enables participants to enroll in a food stamp program once the CSFP is eliminated. The food stamp program, while extremely important, does not offer the same benefit and convenience that CSFP does. The food packages that seniors receive from the CSFP go to veterans who are sleeping under a bridge and who are homeless. I would ask the majority leadership of this Congress to redress those inequities in the President's budget. Some seniors are also hesitant to participate in the food stamp program because they perceive it as a welfare program. Yet these same seniors participate in the CSFP in Indiana. I was touched by the story of a senior who received her first CSFP box from Gleaners. She cried after discovering 12 pudding cups in her box.…”