Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to join with my colleagues, Representatives Kelly and Cohen, to introduce this amendment to increase the summer food program for children by $3 million.

Across the country, one of every five children is at risk of going hungry. In Nevada, more than 233,000 children qualify for free or reduced lunch. That means that 54 percent of Nevada's students come from low-income households that struggle with hunger.

While these children can eat free and reduced-price lunch during the school year, the vast majority are left without adequate nutrition during the summer.

The Summer EBT program is a pilot program that helps fill this gap by providing eligible families with additional SNAP benefits during the summer months. It works.

In 2012, it served almost 67,000 children who might have otherwise gone hungry. The participation in this program is dramatically higher than in other programs, serving up to 75 percent of eligible children.

That is why I believe that we should meet the President's budget request and increase funding to feed as many hungry children as possible. A vacation from school shouldn't mean a hungry child.

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