Political Quotes

“today the USDA issued a report analyzing the effects of the House Republican Personal Responsibility Act (H.R. 4), which is part of the Contract With America. All States including Vermont are big losers. I suggest that all Senators read this report which I am inserting into the Record. My home State of Vermont alone will lose $10 million in Federal nutrition aid in 1996 according to the USDA report. H.R. 4 will increase malnutrition among children and the elderly. This Contract With America bill is antichild, antifamily, and it is false advertising. It promises block grants, but delivers not even a penny. The report also concludes that this bill could reduce retail food sales by as much as $10 billion, reduce gross farm income by as much as $4 billion, and cost the economy as many as 138,000 jobs. It could reduce the income of the average dairy farmer in Vermont by as much as $2,000 per year and could also double the cost of the dairy program nationwide. This is a double whammy--it will force dairy farmers to apply for food assistance just when that assistance is slashed. Nutrition funding nationwide will be cut by almost $31 billion over the next 5 years. It eliminates the Meals on Wheels Program which provides food to the homebound elderly. Seventy-five percent of the school children in Vermont will be thrown off the School Lunch Program. Nutrition standards for healthy school lunches are eliminated.”