Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the House Republican revised farm bill. The bill before us should not be referred to as a farm bill. Farm bills have traditionally tried to address challenges facing all of American agriculture including nutrition and hunger issues. This legislation removes the Nutrition title from the farm bill, which includes the programs that help improve nutrition and fight hunger. Consequently, the bill before us is nothing more than an attempt by House Republicans to undermine the safety net provided to low-income Americans struggling to put food on their table. It is unconscionable that Republican leadership has removed the Nutrition title from the farm bill and are using food as a political tool. Despite what economists have been reporting, our economy is still in a recession for a significant number of Americans and we still have a poverty crisis in this country. In 2011, there were 46.2 million people in poverty. 16.1 million children are living in poverty. Children under the age of 18 have the highest poverty rate in the United States. More than 3.6 million seniors are living in poverty. Women over the age of 85 have the second highest poverty rate in the country. Families and individuals living in poverty often rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to help put food on the table. By removing SNAP from the farm bill, millions of Americans including many children and seniors will go hungry.…”