Date: 1983-08-01
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 40. expressing the sense of the Congress that the Federal Government should maintain current efforts in Federal nutrition programs to prevent increases in domestic hunger. The basic thrust of the resolution. which has over 200 cosponsors. is that in the 98th Congress there should be no further cutbacks in benefits for eligible recipients under the Federal nutrition programs. A brief review of actions by the 97th Congress in this field. along with the current situation regarding hunger in the United States. will put the resolution in Vie proper perspective. With respect to the food stamp program. which falls within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Agriculture. legislation enacted in 1981 and 1982 under the duress of reconciliation and other constraints resulted in savings estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to total in excess of $8 billion. While this legislation addressed many aspects of the program. including a series of provisions designed to combat fraud and abuse. the savings largely reflected reductions in benefits for the needy. Similar consequences were felt in nutrition programs under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Education and Labor. For example. child nutrition legislation enacted in the 97th Congress resulted in a drop in school lunch participation of about 3 million children a day. with about 35 percent of the decline occurring among children receiving free and reduced price meals. Of the halfmillion children dropped from the school breakfast program due to budget cuts. more than twothirds were from poor and nearpoor households. Cutbacks in the summer food service program resulted in 500.000 fewer children from lowincome areas26 percent of program participantsreceiving free lunches in the summer of 1982. The impact of these measures was compounded by substantial reductions in other programs such as unemployment insurance and aid to families with dependent children. Hearings held this year by the Subcommittee on Domestic Marketing. Consumer Relations. and Nutrition in Washington and various locations throughout the country disclosed serious conditions of hunger among the needy and unemployed. A report issued in June by the U.S. Conference of Mayors corroborated these findings. The House has voted this year in a responsible fashion to address an aspect of this problem. By a vote of 389 to 18. it passed H.R. 1590. tile Emergency Food Assistance and Commodity Distribution Act of 1983. The bill would continue and improve the surplus commodity distribution program now being carried out under the 1983 Jobs bill (P.L. 988) and other legislation. However. the distribution of surplus commodities can relieve only a small segment of the problem of hunger in America. The main line of defense against hunger in the Nation is the ongoing Federal programs that have proved to be so effective in the pastthe food stamp program. the child nutrition programs. the special supplemental food program for women. infants and childrencommonly known as the WIC programand various feeding programs for the elderly. These programs. as I have indicated. have already been cut to the bone. and then some. Any further cuts in the benefits for those who are eligible under these programs will have devastating effects among those of us who are least able to sustain this burden. I have summarized what the resolution would do. I would likewise summarize what it would not do. It would not preclude reductions in the current funding level for the food stamp program in all circumstancesfor example. if employment rises and the number of persons on the rolls thus declines. it would in no way foreclose support for legislation that truly addresses the areas of fraud. abuse. and improved accountability. it would not be an obstacle to changes in legislation giving the States additional administrative flexibility. so long as benefits are not reduced for -eligible participants. and it would not prevent legislation to improve administration of the school lunch program. so long as the objective is not the reduction of benefits properly available to children. The report of the Committee on Agriculture on the resolution makes these points abundantly clear. The resolution sums up the various actions taken by the 97th Congress to cut back Federal nutrition programs. laregly at the expense of the benefits available to eligible participants. It recognizes the continuing prevalence of hunger in various segments of our society. It acknowledges the enormous contribution of the Federal nutrition programs to the general welfare of the Nation. Finally. to put it in plain terms. the resolution expresses the sense of Congress. with respect to any further reductions in benefits under Federal food programs "enough is enough." Mr. Speaker. before I conclude. I want to recognize the great contribution which has been made in this matter by Chairman PERKINs and his Committee on Education and Labor. They have worked shoulder to shoulder with us earlier this year on hunger legislation which was the responsibili. ty of both of our committees. and they have done it again in this matter. I thank Chairman PERKINs and the members of his committee for their cooperation and contribution as we have together fashioned legislation to assist the less fortunate among us. Mr. Speaker. I hope that my colleagues will join in overwhelming support for House Concurrent Resolution 40 as they did in the case of the Emergency Food Assistance and Commodity Distribution Act of 1983 earlier this year. Mr. Speaker. I yield 7 minutes to the gentleman from California .