I am proud of the steps that we have taken over the last few years to close the digital divide.

If there is no grocery store around you, and you are buying your meals from a bodega, and you are homeless, and don't have access to hot foods, you buy what is available.

Protect and Strengthen SNAP in the 2023 Farm Bill

Let me just share with you why I oppose moving from the 49 years of age that we have the work requirements.

That is why I was proud to co-lead Training and Nutrition Stability Act, H.R. 3087, with Committee Members Alma Adams and Mark Molinaro, along with Adriano Espaillat.

Dr. Rachidi, you note in your testimony SNAP must accomplish its core goal of supporting Americans in their path out of poverty.

I did need to interject that we felt like that was really where all the fat was, with trying to feed hungry people in this country to the tune of $6 a day.

we are going to fight like hell against any cuts to this program that will increase hunger in this country.

SNAP is one of the largest anti-hunger, anti-poverty initiatives in this nation.

As a nation, we owe it to these individuals to identify policies aimed at helping low-income families achieve the type of opportunity that every American deserves.

We are here to help the disabled.

My ask today for the Committee on Agriculture is simple, continue providing programs and support that are open and inclusive for all food banks to help put food on the table for the nearly 35 million Americans who live in food-insecure…

I think we need to encourage opportunity, and I think we need to do that with all of our government programs.

I will not support any policies that result in food being taken away from Kathy, James, Don, and the many other older adults in my district who depend on SNAP to put food on their tables for their families.

the benefit is inadequate, and maybe we ought to be talking about expanding GusNIP as a way to deal with that.

I remain outraged that the Republicans demanded more older Americans be subject to SNAP's harsh time limits on benefits as part of the debt limit agreement.

Clearly, I am going to use up all of my time ranting about this, but the fact is we are here today to talk about making more cuts, to making it more restrictive, to making it more difficult, and I can't say it enough, this is the…

You cut SNAP, you make more people in this country hungry, then we are against this farm bill.

Leaving people hungry will not help our economy, it will not create jobs, or balance the budget.

The benefit is inadequate, and maybe we ought to be talking about expanding GusNIP as a way to deal with that.

Taking away SNAP doesn't help anyone find work. It just makes them go hungry.

We need to work on that.

I want to say a big thank you to President Biden's leadership, because the recent debt limit agreement included a new exemption from the time limits for our precious military veterans, for homeless people, and for children of the foster…

Despite the importance of nutrition to student success, and what I would consider increased opportunity, recent surveys estimate that as many as 30 to 40 percent of college students are impacted by food insecurity.

That age is so important, and that is why we Democrats feel strongly in holding this age at this pattern.