Joe Crowley: “I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. We need to talk about what is really happening with this bill. Just…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. We need to talk about what is really happening with this bill. Just months after giving massive tax cuts to corporations and the wealthiest individuals through their tax scam, Republicans are now penalizing the most vulnerable among us by cutting one of the most proven and valuable programs that ensures that kids, seniors, and working Americans don't go hungry. If my Republican colleagues looked at the facts, they would see that SNAP--or food stamps--actually work. They would see that a worker is more likely to keep a job if they can put food on the table and at the same time afford to commute to and from work; that a child is likely to do better in school if they have a full stomach to start the school day with; that calling struggling Americans complacent and lazy doesn't help America's poverty crisis, but programs like SNAP do help. If they could see all that, then we wouldn't be here debating a partisan bill that is bad for families, bad for farmers, and bad for our country. Mr. Chairman, the problem isn't food stamp recipients. The problem isn't food stamps. The problem is those who claim they want to help American families, and then do everything in their power to hurt them by passing this partisan bill. I will not vote for it.”