Eva M. Clayton: “I support welfare reform. Reform, however, does not mean change for the sake of change. Reform means change for the sake…”

“I support welfare reform. Reform, however, does not mean change for the sake of change. Reform means change for the sake of improvement. As we move to reform the welfare system, let us make sure that we make a better system, not just a different system. Some of our programs are working and working well. Nutrition programs have proven their worth. This morning, the House Committee on Agriculture held its first hearing of the 104th Congress. The subject of the hearing was the Food Stamp Program. During the hearing, we heard of instances of fraud and abuse. The information received at the hearing may tempt some to call for the elimination of the Food Stamp Program. Such calls, however, would not take the good that the program does into account. The good far outweighs any problems that the program may experience. The Food Stamp Program was instituted to confront hunger in America. Over 27 million people in the United States are served by the program-- more than half of them, 51 percent--are children. Seven percent are elderly. In the State of North Carolina alone, over 627,000 people receive food stamp benefits--and--over half of that total, 323,552--are children. In 1993, North Carolina received $512 million in food stamp funding. In my district, 74,370 hungry people benefit. However, with the cuts that have been proposed in nutrition programs, it is estimated that North Carolina will lose nearly 20 percent of its food stamp funding.”