Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), who also chairs the Caucus on Hunger. Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Minnesota, Congresswoman Omar, for leading this Special Order hour, at such a critical time for our Nation's children. Congresswoman Omar has been a champion for expanding access to universal school meals and ending childhood hunger, and indeed, all hunger in this country and around the globe, and I recognize her for her leadership. Madam Speaker, my two sisters are schoolteachers in the Worcester public school system in Massachusetts. They remind me all the time that school meals are as important to a child's ability to learn as a textbook or a laptop. They wonder all the time why Congress, State governments, and the Federal Government don't get that. They see children show up to school on Mondays hungry because they haven't eaten all weekend. It takes a while to get them the nutrition that they need so they can focus again. If you are hungry, you can't focus. If you can't focus, you can't learn. If you can't learn, you fall behind. It is that simple. They also tell me that Fridays are a tough day because those same children come to them and ask if there is any food that they can take home, not just for them but for their families. I have heard heartbreaking story after heartbreaking story of children who are food insecure, who are hungry in this country.…”