Providing for Consideration of H.R. 2112, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012

Floor Speech

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Mr. STUTZMAN. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I find it very interesting in listening to the discussion here today about whose responsibility it is to feed those who are hungry. I don't think anybody on this floor would say that we don't want to help someone who is in need of food or basic essential services. I think what this is is a discussion about the difference in philosophy in Washington about the role of government in Washington.

There is plenty of blame to go around for all of the spending that has come out of Washington over the last decade--the last 30 years, actually. What we are doing is we are sinking our Nation and our children, the children that we are talking about and whom we want to help and feed. We are actually giving them over $40,000 of debt. Each child that is born in this country is saddled with $40,000 of debt because of government spending that continues to grow more and more every year.

I can tell you as an American farmer in Indiana that myself and many other American farmers and individuals are much better suited to help those who are in most need, in helping in the community, donating food, being a part of a food pantry. We are a generous Nation, and what has become of our ability to help is that we have a Federal Government that continues to saddle us with more and more debt, more and more taxes and regulation, making it much more difficult to make the profits with which we can then turn around and help our communities with food, with the basic services that our churches, our charities and many other organizations in our local communities provide.

Instead of us always looking to the government for that assistance, let's back off of the American people and let them help themselves, when they are capable and when they are willing to do it, rather than continuing to put them further and further into debt.

The Democrat Party talks about, Where are the jobs? Well, government doesn't provide jobs. Indeed, the private sector, people in our communities, entrepreneurs, people that want to expand their businesses to provide a job for that family that needs to provide for their children, they need the job, and there is not going to be enough government jobs to give them that opportunity. Instead, every time we take dollars away from the private sector, that individual who is out working hard, working 50 to 60 hours a week just trying to make ends meet, we are putting them in a very difficult position where they are not able to pay the bills because we continue to make it much more difficult for businesses to be successful here.

Small businesses are the backbone of this country, and until Washington, DC, backs off, the American economy is going to continue to struggle and families are going to continue to struggle.

I believe that this is a responsible bill that will instead help the American economy to grow and help Americans.

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