Farm Bill and Nutrition

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROUZER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. It is a great honor to be with the gentleman here tonight, and I commend him for his great leadership on this issue.

This really, really is a great, great bill. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, as we all know it, is a nationwide food assistance program that provides a nutritional safety net for low-income families and individuals who meet certain eligibility requirements.

Now, I think the vast majority of Americans would agree that, if you work, you should be better off than if you don't work. Our farm bill makes commonsense reforms to ensure that recipients of these benefits, those who are perfectly capable of work, have a pathway to upward mobility, can get good jobs, and ultimately can use their God-given talents to achieve a very rewarding career. That is what this is all about.

As we drafted this farm bill, we stayed focused on providing those who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances the ability to lift themselves up and the ability to succeed and contribute to society.

Another aspect of the farm bill I want to highlight is in the nutrition title as well. It provides assistance to low-income seniors through the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. This vital program increases the consumption of good quality food by expanding, developing, and aiding in the development and expansion of domestic farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community-supported agriculture programs.

It does so by providing seniors with coupons that can be exchanged for eligible foods such as fruits, vegetables, honey, and fresh-cut herbs.

Mr. Speaker, these are just a few of the commonsense reforms included in the 2018 farm bill among many, many more. I hope that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will take the time to really study and understand what these reforms will mean to our farm families, rural America, and the upward mobility created for those individuals and families in this country who need a helping hand.

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