Providing for Consideration of Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act, Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, and Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. HIMES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the defeat of this rule and of the underlying bill which will throw millions of Americans off of food stamps at a time when they need it. And I urge that on behalf of my constituent Jenenne Smalls, a 37-year-old formerly homeless veteran with three children who my office helped get on food stamps.

I urge it on behalf of a semi-deity to the Republicans, Ronald Reagan, who said, As long as there is one person in the country who is hungry, that is one person too many. And I urge it on behalf of a real deity, Mr. Speaker. Above my head are the words, ``In God we trust.'' In my Christian faith, the notion that we feed the hungry is unimpeachable and nonconditional.

Matthew does not say, Feed the hungry, so long as you can do it with 100 percent efficiency. Mark does not say, Feed the hungry, so long as you pass the XL pipeline. Luke does not say, Feed the hungry, so long as you loosen environmental regulations.

Mr. Speaker, this rule and this bill, which is deeply, deeply flawed, must not pass.

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