We finished debate on a batch of this seven. [inaudible] the committee will come to order. Are there any other amendments . [inaudible] this is amendment number ten. The clerk will designate the amendment. The staff will distribute the copies of the amendment. Excuse me, this is number 11. 11. Amendment number 11 offered by representative Lujan Grisham related to nutrition assistance. Ms. Lujan grisham is recognized for six minutes. Thank you, madam chairman. The republican budget cuts the Supplemental Nutrition Program by 150 billion, turns it into a block grant program. I open my remarks this morning about a constituent of mine who is trying to survive on 33 a week in step benefits or raising a nineyearold son. Without that 3 33 shes indicd she is not able to afford the most important food for her son, food with meats, with proteins and iron in them that she needs to keep her child healthy. But this is just one story and the cuts in his budget will harm an estimated 43 million americans who receive snap, almost half of whom are children. In fact, over 80 of snap households are living at or below the poverty line and almost 90 of these participants live in a household with a child under 18, an elderly person over 60, or and individual with disabilities. In addition, one in four children at the department of defense schools are eligible for free lunch. In 2016, 67 billion in food stamps was spent at our commissaries, and 1. 5 million veterans a year are on snap. Although some states are sold, out of the recession, my home state of new mexico has been left behind. In fact, we are one of the hundreds of state and nation. In 2016 new mexico ranked second was for childhood hunger. One of the four new mexican children are food insecure and also in 2016 2016, according ofr states population was on snap. This is 471,000 new mexicans. Not only does this budget drastically cut snap it also imposes even stricter work requirements that already exist in the program. The budget does nothing to increase job training come raise the minimum wage or increase funding for any other programs would help people find employment or take on a bigger paycheck. In new mexico there are no jobs. There is no job training and we are already one of the hungriest state unitec in the entire coun. We had the secondhighest Unemployment Rate at 6. 6 . Albuquerque is lost approximately for private sector jobs per day over the last ten years. Tagging snap devastates my state as well as many other hungry states like mississippi, texas, alaska and kentucky. My amendment rejects of these deep cuts to step and improves access to child nutrition assistance in the summer months and i encourage my colleagues to support it. I yield one minute to my friend congresswoman delbene. Thank you. Im pleased to support represent Lujan Grisham amendment. This budget hurts them need is a most vulnerable americans by making drastic cuts to snap and convertinconferring the programa block grant by 2021. Staff will provide benefits to over 43 million americans this year, almost half of whom are children. And over 80 of snap households are living at or below the poverty line. Access to snap by pregnant women leads to healthier babies, girls have access to snap as children are 18 more likely to graduate from high school. The republican budget is playing politics with hunger. We should be focusing on creating jobs, not punishing our most vulnerable citizens. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote yes on this amendment and i yield back. Thank you. I now yield one minute to my friend congressman carbajal. Thank you, ms. Lujan grisham. Our budget should not be balance on the backs of the most vulnerable. But this republican budget does just that. Most s. N. A. P. Recipients are children, the elderly and disabled. Those who can work work either in jobs paying too little or providing too few hours to support their families. The rest includes vulnerable populations who need support to address barriers to work like returning veterans or former foster youth. The republican blueprint suggests eliminating waivers for ablebodied adults without dependence. As we have seen since the great depression, recession, these waivers are vital tools to provide Food Assistance to communities with chronically high unemployment. Taking away the flexibility from states is guaranteed to worsen hunger. S. N. A. P. Has one of the highest stimulative effects of amy federal spending supporting Economic Growth and jobs. I urge support for representative Lujan Grisham amendment. I yield back. Thank you. I now yield one minute to my friend congresswoman schakowsky. I think my colleague for her amendment. This proposed budget assumes 150 billion in cuts to the s. N. A. P. Program over the next ten years, cutting staff would leave American Families including children unable to put food on the table and with nowhere else to turn. We can expect local charities or states will be able to fill the void left by this budget cut. For every meal provided by a charity in illinois, s. N. A. P. Provides nine. I have to ask my colleagues said here today, did you really come to congress to take food out of the mouth of hungry children like i urge my to reject this budget, deep cuts to the step program and i yield back. Thank you. I reserve. The gentlelady reserves her time. Is there a member who would like to claim the time in opposition to the amendment . Mr. Mcclintock is recognized for seven minutes. Madam chair, this amendment perpetuates the debt and poverty spiral of the democrats opposed in in the last eight years and 2021 in 15 americans were on s. N. A. P. Or food stamps. Today one in seven are. Let me put it another way. In 200 2007 just before the recession hit unemployment was 4. 6 . There were 26 million americans on food stamps. Unemployment is back down to about the same, 4. 7 , but the number of americans on food stamps is now 44 million. The Unemployment Rate remains free much the same. The enrollment has nearly doubled. Let me put in family size number. This program now consumes an average of 568 rum the taxes paid by every american family. Let me repeat that. 568 of the tax paid by an average family goes to pay for the s. N. A. P. Program. And before the s. N. A. P. Card was designed to blend in with the debit card, the most bitter conflict like up were from moms and dads on tight budgets who pay those taxes, frugally passed over the expensive food at the Grocery Store and then found the person ahead of them in line with a s. N. A. P. Card purchasing the very same things. We owe it to those average hardworking families who pay those 568 of taxes for s. N. A. P. And the net to scrimp on luxuries for the families in order to pay those taxes, we owe it to them to assure that those are receiving benefits, who have the dependence and you are perfectly capable of working or training for work or at least looking for work do so in return for those benefits because thats what everyone of those hardworking families are doing. I suspect well fine with this modest requirement what 13 alabama counties found when they set the conditions at the beginning of the year for ablebodied s. N. A. P. Recipients with no dependents. In those counties and a fivemonth period the number of those recipients declined from 5538, 831. Thats an 85 decline. That does not mean we are cutting s. N. A. P. Benefits pick it means protecting them for those who truly need them. We are also recommending states take some responsibility for these programs. Right now the federal government picks up the tab. The state doles out the benefits. This gives them zero incentive to guard against waste, fraud, and abuse. It gives them a perverse incentive to overload the roles to bring more money into the state. As i pointed out before you dont help the poor by harming the economy. When you raise taxes on a socalled 1 , you are hitting businesses to pass along these tax increases as high prices for consumers, lower wages for workers and lower earnings for investors, largely peoples pensions. And the truth is if we dont reform these programs now, they will continue to outgrow the economy until the program collapses of its own weight on precisely the truly needy that we are trying to protect. I yield the balance of my time. Thank you. This is another program, i disagree with the wonderful congressman, this is a program when you look into drawing from 16 million to 44 million over 16 years. At a time whenunemployment at least in my state anything largely nationwide is a lowest its been in years and years and years. You have to realize there something wrong. Because the economy is humming along like this, and yet almost three times as many people under the program as a few years ago, it means reform is necessary. Now, i dont care where you got my district where you talk to people in washington, right now people so s. N. A. P. Or 50 cents on the dollar. Which also indicates something is wrong. Because i wouldnt sell 90 of food for ten dollars. But that is whats going on all around this country into something that ought to be reported a little bit more. The s. N. A. P. Program incentivizes people in two ways. First of all the step program incentivizes people not to work as much, when combined with many other Antipoverty Program we have in this country, one can only say it discourages work or discourages working fulltime. I think anybody who talks employers making a lower wage class, they will give you examples of people who have returned, turned down wages, turned out additional hours because they like to keep the benefits going. The other problem i have with s. N. A. P. Is it discourages marriage. Its one of many government Antipoverty Programs that youre eligible for provided theres not a hardworking fulltime working person in the household. So given those things i think this is an inappropriate amendment. I think people want to introduce something making it easier to find word or training people in many areas that we are screaming for more people, i think that would be a more productive use. But common sense will tell you that when you have an increase of almost threefold in 16 years and your Unemployment Rate is so very low, there are people taking advantage of this program who dont have to take advantage of it. I yield remainder of my time. The gentleman yield back. Ms. Lujan grisham is recognized for one minute to close. Thank you, madam chair. Im going to tease a bit, by cawley, mr. Grothman pic ive been engaged for five years and it took the step challenge and now finally i can explain the reason im not married to my fiancee. The s. N. A. P. Challenge. I dont think that good understanding of the s. N. A. P. Program. Veterans, working military, the constituent i mentioned, working mom, 53 cents an hour was her raise. You cant do it. Its 33 a week. When i took the s. N. A. P. Challenge i couldnt afford any productive, good, healthy food. And i suffer a sports injury and i couldnt like any of the food at the doctor told me with your vet. Fortunately i didnt have to live on 33 a week with the family for food that these folks do. 38,000 Grocery Stores. You want to something about growing the economy and you said the economy is humming, in part statement you set this budget was necessary because the economy is not coming. I would submit to you would have a good understanding of the scene is disabled the adults and children, veterans and active working military who are on this program, who without which do not have sufficient resources to buy the very food in which to exist. I yield back. The gentleladys time has expired. The question is on the agreement offered by ms. Lujan grisham to all those in favor . Opposed . In the opinion of the nos have it. A recorded vote is requested and pursuant to our unanimous consent agreement we will postpone the recorded vote. Are there other amendments. I have an amendment at the desk. This amendment is number 12. The clue what does it the man and the staff what issue the copies of the minute. Amendment number 12 offered by representative domine representative domine. Ms. Delbene is recognized for six minutes. Thank you, madam chair. Too Many Americans are still struggling, particularly and economically troubled areas with high poverty rates. Helping people find good paying longterm work in high demand field is the best way to ensure that it will have access to economic advancement. If we invest a little now in a targeted way not only can we help the people are still feeling left behind we can actually say the government money in the long run by making people selfsufficient to its important remember that these investments we make that dont have an incredible impact on our economy but also on peoples lives. My and then as a Deficit Neutral Reserve Fund to accommodate policies and programs that Foster Economic Development and booze job creation in areas with high poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, homelessness and foreclosure rates including tribal communities. This could include establishment of an interagenc interagency coo coordinate resources and ensure the targeted areas are receiving appropriate support or supporting pilot programs or studies to determine the most effective way to focus resources to assist struggling communities. This could also be used to expand important programs such as the Community Development block grants and the promise zones initiative, programs that help people in rural and tribal areas, for example, that a been left behind. Immunity developed block grants help states and localities get the kind of infrastructure investment, job creation and poverty elimination and many of our team of these desperately need. Community Development Block grants also drive Economic Growth, helping to his leverage funds for essential water and sewer improvement project, housing needs, forcing innovative partnerships to meet increasing Public Service needs and revitalize their economies. They support local businesses, builders and contractors and Service Providers to improve the neighborhoods where they work and live. They are also great return on federal investment. Every daughter leverages 3. 65 of other public and private sources of capital. I know this firsthand because in 2014 the county my District Reserve 1. 5 million grant the department of housing and urban development to help local committees recover from a deadly mudslide that devastated the community. And promise zones established partnership between the federal government, local communities and businesses to address the regions or neighborhoods needs. These promise zones are high poverty, urban, rural and tribal committees where local government nonprofit come business and Community Leaders collaborate to make investments that reward hard work and expand opportunity. The federal government partners with these communities to help them secure the resources and flexibility they need to achieve their goals. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and im pleased to yield one minute to congresswoman moulton. I want to thank my friend from washington for the time, and im proud to support her amendment. Our economy is changing and we must prepare our current and future workforce for the jobs of the 21st century. This proposed budget does just that opposite of that. In guiding vital funds are workforce the veltman programs. Guiding these vital programs and slashing spending to foster Economic Growth or help businesses create jobs. Rather they harbor anxiety in the workforce. Just last week introduced a bill that would allow industries academic institutions, vocational and Technical Schools and Workforce Development programs across the country to form partnerships and train americans for the new economy. That type of collaboration and innovation is what should be fueling our debate about the future of work. Its time for politicians to stop breaking the system work we needed budget that accept foster growth, and this is not that budget. The amendment to make it better. I yield back. Thank you nla yield one minute to congresswoman schakowsky. I think the congresswoman for her amendment. Instead of a bold investment in infrastructure this budget ends tiger grants, cuts off funding for new transit projects, those cuts inferior construction jobs and less access to jobs for workers who depend on our transportation system. Republicans talk about flexibility for states and cities. These cut block grants i believe the most Flexible Funding that the federal government provides to local Economic Development efforts and ive never met a mayor democrat or republican whos told me cut cb cgp congresswoman delbene amendment has right priorities to invest in our communities to address poverty, reduce unemployment and improve housing and a pay for those investments. By asking the wealthiest americans and largest corporations to pay their fair share. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment. Thank you and i yield the remaining time to congresswoman Lujan Grisham. Thank you to my colleague from washington to quit often say our budget is a reflection of a values and while i hear a lot about the need to grow the economy, create good paying jobs are working families on the campaign trail, this budget does not reflect those values. This amendment calls for a tribute to increase Economic Opportunities and high poverty, high unemployment areas and no place needs this amendment more than my home state in new mexico. We should improve Work Training and Educational Opportunities to increase access to a formal housing at the investment in underserved communities. To say we need investment and Economic Growth in new mexico is an understatement. I urge my colleagues to take this opportunity to invest in working families in new mexico and across the country. I yield back. Thank you, madam chair. I