Federal Food Donation Act of 2007

Floor Speech

FEDERAL FOOD DONATION ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - December 17, 2007)

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from the District of Columbia for yielding me the time and for her support for this bill and for so many other important issues.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4220, the Federal Food Donation Act of 2007.

Let me begin by commending the sponsor of this legislation, Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson. Congresswoman Emerson is a true champion for the hungry in this country. She's a friend who doesn't just talk about hunger, but is a leader in the effort to fight to end hunger in this country.

It's not an easy effort, and I know that she has to work to convince people around this country and in this very building that there are people who still go without food in this great Nation of ours. She's a shining example of someone who puts partisanship aside and works towards a goal that should be achievable.

So I want to thank Congresswoman Emerson for her steadfast leadership on this issue and for introducing this important legislation.

I also want to thank Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis and the other members of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee for their quick and thorough work on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, hunger is getting worse in America. More than 35.5 million people went hungry in the United States in 2006, an increase of more than 300,000 from 2005. There are many in Congress who talk about the booming economy and economic growth, but it is clear that millions of Americans are not benefiting from this so-called economic expansion.

The costs of living in America are rising. Energy costs are increasing, food prices continue to go up, and the housing crisis is straining the budgets of middle- and lower-income families. The reality is that many Americans are walking a fiscal tightrope where any economic change or family crisis, like an unexpected illness or job loss, could force people to go without food for a period of time.

That we are even talking about any person going hungry in the richest and most prosperous Nation in the world is an embarrassment, and we should all be ashamed for not doing more to combat hunger here at home.

H.R. 4220 is a good step in the fight against hunger. Unfortunately, it's not going to end hunger in America, but it will provide one more way to fight hunger.

As has already been described, the Federal Food Donation Act would require executive agencies who serve food on their premises to encourage the donation of excess food to nonprofit organizations. Such food rescue efforts can be particularly useful to the more than 43,000 soup kitchens and food pantries on the front lines battling hunger. The Oversight and Government Reform Committee broadened the scope of this bill, and I'm especially pleased the bill was expanded to include the Department of Defense.

The reality is that food costs are increasing; and America's food banks, the safety net of our anti-hunger system, is straining to meet this need. According to a new report released today by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, requests for food increased an average of 12 percent over the last year. Yet at the same time, a recent Washington Post article reports that the Capital Area Food Bank, the emergency food system for Washington, DC, had only 230,000 pounds of food on its shelves, down from 570,000 pounds at this time last year. Nationwide, food donations to food banks are expected to fall short of the need by 15 million pounds.

Mr. Speaker, we need to do more to address and ultimately end hunger in America. The Federal safety net developed over the years, the Food Stamp program, Meals on Wheels, school meals and the emergency food system, is working but it is strained. Private organizations like Catholic Charities and the Nation's food banks, just to name two examples, are filling the gaps where they can. It is time we commit to ending hunger once and for all. It's time that we dedicate the resources of our great Nation to ending this scourge. The Federal Food Donation Act is a good first step, and I'm pleased that the House is acting on it today.

Mr. Speaker, I insert into the Record at this point two articles documenting the shortage of food for the hungry in this country and one article announcing the U.S. Conference of Mayors report on hunger and homelessness.

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