Tony Hall: “I rise today to respectfully challenge Secretary Donna Shalala. Madam Secretary, there is something sad out there that I…”

“I rise today to respectfully challenge Secretary Donna Shalala. Madam Secretary, there is something sad out there that I would like you to see. At the National Nutrition Summit, you said: ``Except for a few isolated pockets, we have succeeded at ending hunger in America.'' That is not true. According to dozens of American organizations, fighting on poverty's front lines, according to respected international organizations, like the WHO and UNICEF, according to what I have seen too many times, and I am shocked that a cabinet secretary would be so clearly out of touch with reality. Secretary Shalala, I challenge you to meet me in any American community at any time for a look at the food banks and soup kitchens filled with senior citizens, children, American veterans, and working families. Hunger is a fact. It is the underbelly of our booming economy. You can choose not to look at it; but it is real, and it is ugly. It plagues 26 million of our fellow Americans each year. Please come take a look.”