Feeding Our Children

Floor Speech

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Mr. LATIMER. Mr. Speaker, at a time when food prices are rising and it is harder for families to make ends meet, we should not be cutting food assistance programs, but that is exactly what is happening. Earlier this month the administration announced a billion-dollar cut to local purchasing for schools and food banks.

Local farms who rely on these programs for consistent purchases of their food no longer have an important market, and it means that locally grown, more nutritious food is no longer available for food banks and schools.

Just yesterday, USDA announced that it was ending part of the Farm to School Program. This program for years incentivized local food procurement for school meals. Dozens of schools in Westchester and the Bronx rely on these programs as a way to provide healthy food to students. Similarly, Feeding Westchester and City Harvest do yeoman's work to provide food for families and kids in need at the best value. If fresh food is no longer available, our community will suffer.

These cuts must be reversed and quickly. Time is of the essence when it comes to our children having enough to eat.

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