If the stated mission of the Families to Food Box Program is not being accomplished everywhere--either through misspent funds, mismanagement or inconsistent operations--then this program is creating hardship instead of relieving it.

Moving forward it is incumbent on USDA to strengthen its communications with partners to streamline the process and ensure success.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it an economic toll that has left millions of Americans jobless and without the basic income needed to purchase food for their families.

I would encourage you to do that surveying so that we can look into the future, have a better idea of how much local food was accessed.

This includes $16 billion in direct payments to producers impacted by the drop in commodity prices and the disruption in food supply chains.

USDA should be prioritizing funding for experienced contractors with established community relationships to ensure there are no unnecessary delays to much needed support.

In short, incorporating more streamlined coordination, transparent communications, and deeper accountability of the program will go a long way in our collective efforts to help feed families who are struggling to put food on their tables.

A program intended to feed the hungry that fails to operate consistently and equitably for all people across this nation is unacceptable.

For Rounds 1 and 2 of FFFBP, what is USDA doing to ensure that all the food in the boxes, including processed foods like cooked chicken and pork and dairy products, can be traced back to domestic producers?

I recently introduced a bill called the, H.R. 6968, Meals on Wheels For Kids Act of 2020, which, like Farmers to Families, would innovate the way we carry out existing programs by creating more partnerships between existing community…

This hearing of the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations entitled, An Overview of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, will come to order.

Let us make sure we develop the plans to do it after the pandemic too.

It is clear greater transparency and oversight are needed to shed light on a program designed in the dark by USDA.

Looking at hunger relief overall, we know the most efficient way to address food insecurity during this crisis is to increase SNAP benefits.

Today's hearing is only the beginning. I intend to closely review this program to ensure that it meets its intended policy goals and operates efficiently for all those depending on its promised success.

This is fraught with waste, fraud, and abuse.

SNAP is the first line of defense, and really is super efficient, because it capitalizes on the existing infrastructure of grocery stores in rural communities and urban.

Let us continue to work together to come up with some solutions, because it is not about just feeding kids who can come to the congregate centers.

Today's hearing is focused on the Administration's $3 billion program intended to quickly deliver fresh food to those in need.

If you are not at the table, you are on the menu. Black people are sick of being on the menu.

an excellent K12 education for children of color is vital for overcoming historical barriers.

It was a shameful, disgraceful sight that we confined people to have to choose between their health and their right as citizens to participate and vote.

Congress must ensure a both/and strategy for voting in this pandemic.

The choice facing Black voters was especially agonizing.

We cannot continue to spread these misleading and false statements about this widespread fraud. It doesn't exist.