Kent Conrad: “If I may say to my colleague, the opt out is not just a bad idea. What is a bad idea is the opt in because once you have…”

“If I may say to my colleague, the opt out is not just a bad idea. What is a bad idea is the opt in because once you have opted in you are stuck for that year. You are stuck. Florida would have been stuck. They would not have been able to feed these people who are hungry. The problem is the opt in. That is what this amendment seeks to say. It says, ``Look, we are not going to have a program that endangers children. We are not going to have a program that endangers people who are vulnerable.'' Mr. President, it seems to me that this is a circumstance in which we should all understand that half of the States are eligible immediately, I am told under this bill, to go under the Block Grant Program; 40 would be eligible within 2 years. This is not some narrow, finely crafted amendment. This is a wholesale assault on the Food Stamp Program. That is what this is. I do not think that is what this Senate ought to be doing. I do not think that is what this Congress ought to be doing. Further, there is no guarantee under this legislation that protects children who are now eligible. There is no individual guarantee to children in this legislation. And most serious of all, there is absolutely no protection for a State that is hit by a natural disaster or a sharp economic downturn. That is the reality of the underlying legislation. I do not think we want to take that risk with America's kids.”