Jim McGovern

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the annual Household Food Security in the United States report for 2008. The findings of this report are nothing short of alarming and frightening. This report found the highest level of food insecurity since the study began in 1995. While just over 85 percent of U.S. households were food secure in 2008, the bad news, the frightening news, is that 14.6 percent, 17 million households, were food insecure in 2008. This means that at some point during 2008, these households ``had difficulty providing enough food for all their members due to a lack of resources.'' According to the USDA, over 49 million people lived in those 17 million households. In other words, Mr. Speaker, according to this report, 49 million Americans went hungry in 2008. We should be ashamed of ourselves. In the richest, most prosperous nation in the world, a country where we have the means to end hunger, a country where we have the food readily available, we continue to allow 49 million people to be hungry in this country. And if that weren't bad enough, food insecurity is likely to get worse, not better, next year. Mr. Speaker, this report also found that 17 million children, more than one in five, went without food at some point during the year. That's an increase of 5 million children over the previous year. Even worse, the number of children living in very low food insecure households--the hungriest of the hungry--rose from 323,000 in 2007 to 506,000 in 2008. That means that almost 2 million children are among the hungriest of the hungry in America. Race and gender are also factors. About 37 percent of single mothers struggled for food in 2008. And more disturbing, more than one in seven said that someone in their household had been hungry. The report found that African Americans and Hispanics were more than twice as likely as whites to report food insecurity at home. Mr. Speaker, we can do better. We must do better. I want to thank President Obama and Secretary Vilsack for their dedication to combating hunger in America. Secretary Vilsack personally released this report yesterday, and President Obama released a statement, two actions that the previous administration declined to make. I don't say this to place blame, but rather to say that admitting there is a problem is the first step towards addressing that problem. President Obama has committed his administration to ending child hunger by 2015. That's something we can and should do. Continuing to raise awareness of this issue is critical, no matter how bad the statistics may be. Mr. Speaker, we are fortunate to have in place a safety net system that prevents more people from going without food. Undoubtedly, even more Americans would go hungry if it weren't for SNAP--formerly known as food stamps--WIC, school and summer meals, and the other Federal anti-hunger programs. Later this week, I will be introducing legislation that will expand these programs to better combat hunger in the United States. The End Childhood Hunger by 2015 Act will not only expand the purchasing power of SNAP, but it will increase the number of people who are eligible for these Federal anti-hunger programs. For example, under this bill, every child who goes to school, regardless of income, will receive a quality, nutritious breakfast and lunch. We know that children learn better and develop properly when they eat nutritious meals. Unfortunately, many children don't have access to nutritious meals either at home or at school. We provide textbooks for all children. Why shouldn't we provide at least two nutritious meals too? Now is the time for us to refocus our energy on ending hunger once and for all, and it will require Presidential leadership. I introduced legislation calling for a White House Conference on Food and Nutrition. I will be working with Speaker Pelosi, Chairman Peterson and Chairman Miller to pass this important legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to cosponsor H.R. 2297. Mr. Speaker, we may not be able to end all war and disease in our lifetimes, but we can end hunger if we muster the political will to do so. This report should be a rallying point report for Congress and the administration. While this Congress focuses on the Nation's economic recovery and job creation, we must not forget about those who are going without food. Let's commit ourselves once and for all to ending hunger as we know it in America. I would like to insert into the Record the statement by President Obama and news articles from The New York Times and Washington Post on the release of this report. The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, Washington, DC, November 16, 2009. Statement by the President on the Release of the Annual Household Food Security Report As American families prepare to gather for Thanksgiving, we received an unsettling report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that found that hunger rose significantly last year. This trend was already painfully clear in many communities across our nation, where food stamp applications are surging and food pantry shelves are emptying. It is particularly troubling that there were more than 500,000 families in which a child experienced hunger multiple times over the course of the year. Our children's ability to grow, learn, and meet their full potential--and therefore our future competitiveness as a nation--depends on regular access to healthy meals. My Administration is committed to reversing the trend of rising hunger. The first task is to restore job growth, which will help relieve the economic pressures that make it difficult for parents to put a square meal on the table each day. But we are also taking targeted steps to prevent Americans from experiencing hunger. Earlier this year, we extended help to those hit hardest by this economic downturn by boosting SNAP benefits. And Secretary Vilsack is working hard to make sure eligible families are able to access those benefits as well as the School Lunch and Breakfast Program. In addition, a bill I signed into law last month invests $85 million in new strategies to prevent children from experiencing hunger in the summer. Hunger is a problem that we can solve together, and I look forward to working with Congress to pass a strong child nutrition bill that will help children get the healthy meals they need to grow and succeed--and help keep America competitive in the decades to come. The full USDA Household Food Security report can be viewed here: www.ers.usda.gov/features/householdfoodsecurity/ ____ [From the New York Times, Nov. 17, 2009] Hunger in U.S. at a 14-Year High (By Jason DeParle) Washington--The number of Americans who lived in households that lacked consistent access to adequate food soared last year, to 49 million, the highest since the government began tracking what it calls ``food insecurity'' 14 years ago, the Department of Agriculture reported Monday. The increase, of 13 million Americans, was much larger than even the most pessimistic observers of hunger trends had expected and cast an alarming light on the daily hardships caused by the recession's punishing effect on jobs and wages. About a third of these struggling households had what the researchers called ``very low food security,'' meaning lack of money forced members to skip meals, cut portions or otherwise forgo food at some point in the year. The other two-thirds typically had enough to eat, but only by eating cheaper or less varied foods, relying on government aid like food stamps, or visiting food pantries and soup kitchens. ``These numbers are a wake-up call for the country,'' said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. One figure that drew officials' attention was the number of households, 506,000, in which children faced ``very low food security'': up from 323,000 the previous year. President Obama, who has pledged to end childhood hunger by 2015, released a statement while traveling in Asia that called the finding ``particularly troubling.'' The ungainly phrase ``food insecurity'' stems from years of political and academic wrangling over how to measure adequate access to food. In the 1980s, when officials of the Reagan administration denied there was hunger in the United States, the Food Research and Action Center, a Washington advocacy group, began a survey that concluded otherwise. Over time, Congress had the Agriculture Department oversee a similar survey, which the Census Bureau administers. Though researchers at the Agriculture Department do not use the word ``hunger,'' Mr. Obama did. ``Hunger rose significantly last year,'' he said. Analysts said the main reason for the growth was the rise in the unemployment rate, to 7.2 percent at the end of 2008 from 4.9 percent a year earlier. And since it now stands at 10.2 percent, the survey might in fact understate the number of Americans struggling to get adequate food. Rising food prices, too, might have played a role. The food stamp rolls have expanded to record levels, with 36 million Americans now collecting aid, an increase of nearly 4o percent from two years ago. And the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed last winter, raised the average monthly food stamp benefit per person by about 17 percent, to $133. Many states have made it easier for those eligible to apply, but rising applications and staffing cuts have also brought long delays. Problems gaining access to food were highest in households with children headed by single mothers. About 37 percent of them reported some form of food insecurity compared with 14 percent of married households with children. About 29 percent of Hispanic households reported food insecurity, compared with 27 percent of black households and 12 percent of white households. Serious problems were most prevalent in the South, followed equally by the West and Midwest. Some conservatives have attacked the survey's methodology, saying it is hard to define what it measures. The 18-item questionnaire asks about skipped meals and hunger pangs, but also whether people had worries about getting food. It ranks the severity of their condition by the number of answers that indicate a problem. ``Very few of these people are hungry,'' said Robert Rector, an analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation. ``When they lose jobs, they constrain the kind of food they buy. That is regrettable, but it's a far cry from a hunger crisis.'' The report measures the number of households that experienced problems at any point in the year. Only a ``small fraction'' were facing the problem at a given moment. Among those with ``very low food security,'' for instance, most experienced the condition for several days in each of seven or eight months. James Weill, the director of the food center that pioneered the report, called it a careful look at an underappreciated condition. ``Many people are outright hungry, skipping meals,'' he said. ``Others say they have enough to eat but only because they're going to food pantries or using food stamps. We describe it as `households struggling with hunger.' ''

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, this is a remarkable, historic moment. Passage of health insurance reform is a ``Franklin Roosevelt'' moment, right up there with the creation of Social Security. We have debated this issue for almost 100 years, since Teddy Roosevelt ran on the Bull Moose Party. This year alone, House committees have spent nearly 100 hours in hearings on health reform. They have heard from 181 witnesses, spent 83 hours in committee markups, and considered 239 amendments. The Rules Committee spent almost 12 hours hearing testimony last night. This has been a very thorough and thoughtful process. The time for talk has come to an end. Now is the time for action. The need for reform is clear. Since 2000, employer-sponsored health insurance premiums for American families have more than doubled. Because of crushing health care costs, small businesses are losing their ability to compete in the global marketplace. If we do nothing, as my Republican friends want to do, family premiums will increase an average of $1,800 every year and the number of uninsured will reach 61 million people by 2020. Not only that, but skyrocketing health care costs will bankrupt this country. By the time my kids retire, health care will take up 50 percent, half of our entire economy. We simply cannot leave that kind of debt for future generations. My Republican friends see things differently. Their prescription for health care is ``take two tax breaks and call me in the morning.'' It is the same-old same-old. For 12 years, Republicans had their chance to improve health care in America, and for 12 years they let the number of uninsured skyrocket, while letting the insurance companies make money hand-over-fist. Those who vote against this bill are on the wrong side of history. With the passage of this bill, we stand for the uninsured, for the underinsured, for those discriminated against by insurance companies because they have preexisting conditions or because of their gender. Mr. Speaker, this is an historic moment. I urge my colleagues to stand with the people of this great country; not with the insurance companies and not with the special interests, but with the real people. Vote ``yes'' on this rule. Vote ``yes'' on this bill. Let's deliver real health care insurance reform for the American people.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, this resolution should not be coming before us. I agree that there is an anti-Israel bias at the United Nations. But at this moment in history, it should be the responsibility of every Member of this House to help bring the parties in the conflict in the Middle East back to the negotiating table. We need to resurrect and advance a peace process, so that rockets never again fall on innocent Israeli civilians and the terror of Gaza is not repeated. This resolution does not do that. This resolution heightens the rhetoric of division. Regardless of what you think of the Goldstone Report, it makes an important recommendation: that it is incumbent upon both Israel and the Palestinians, in particular Hamas, to carry out credible investigations into actions by their forces that led to the harm and loss of civilians. I regret that we are not calling upon all parties to return to the peace table so that the rockets and bombs may be silenced in the Middle East, once and for all. I regret that this resolution is on the House floor increasing the politicization and the polarization and the heated rhetoric so characteristic of the crisis in the Middle East. So, Madam Speaker, I will vote ``no'' today on this resolution.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the life sciences industry as a major economic force within the city and the entire region. Due to scheduled votes here in the House of Representatives, I regret that I am unable to attend tonight's celebration of this occasion which has been organized by the Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI) and will be hosted by Abbot Laboratories in Worcester's Biotechnology Park. I am personally grateful to Kevin O'Sullivan and the leadership of MBI for ensuring this important milestone did not pass without properly recognizing the many individuals who had the foresight to realize the limitless potential of this fledgling industry and who in turn planted a flag in the heart of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announcing to the world that biotechnology will be the future of our proud city. I particularly want to acknowledge the extraordinary contributions of my friend Governor Michael Dukakis and the late William Short to this effort which now, a quarter century later, has spawned thousands of jobs and remarkable advances in healthcare right in Worcester, Massachusetts. I am, however, especially pleased that my predecessor, friend and colleague, Congressman Joseph D. Early, is also being honored tonight for the absolutely pivotal role he played in the creation of Worcester's biotechnology cluster. In his own quiet but effective way, Congressman Early relentlessly championed federal funding on the House Appropriations Committee for both the biotech park and for medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Before anyone else, Congressman Early understood that the local economy of his beloved city was in need of a transformation from a rich heritage of heavy manufacturing towards a new 2lst century industry that would produce the next generation of highly skilled jobs. His prescient vision and dogged determination forced Worcester to confront a harsh reality at that time; the city's future prosperity was directly dependent upon the ability to marry the immense intellectual capital at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the city's other fine colleges and universities with its renowned tradition of industrial innovation. Due in large part to Congressman Early's leadership, that marriage took the shape of Worcester's Biotechnology Park and its success today is part of his unrivaled legacy of service to his district and the untold number of constituents who have benefited from his advocacy. Madam Speaker, all of us in elected office hope one day to be remembered not so much for the votes we have taken or the speeches we have given but for the very real, tangible and enduring examples of our public service. In that spirit, Congressman Joe Early's fingerprints are all over Worcester's Biotechnology Park and the rapidly expanding life science industry our city now enjoys. In as much as Congressman Early is a household name in Worcester, he remains a revered figure to those crusading pioneers at the National Institutes of Health who still remember and desperately miss his fierce commitment to federal funding for medical research. As he modestly accepts the honor bestowed upon him tonight, I want Congressman Early to personally know how much I truly admire him for the contributions he has made to the life sciences in Worcester and around the world. He inspires me to work all that much harder to support and promote biotechnology in Worcester and I will forever be grateful for the example he has given me.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. I thank my friend for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 823, and I want to thank my good friend and colleague, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, for her leadership in bringing this resolution before the House for its consideration. Mr. Speaker, we often forget, or take for granted, that thousands of humanitarian workers provide food, water, shelter, medicine and essential services to tens of millions around the world. Many of us don't even think about how perilous are the situations in which this compassionate work happens. But we were reminded, in the worst possible way, on October 5, when a bombing attack was carried out against the World Food Program in Islamabad, Pakistan. This resolution adds to what I am sure others have also conveyed to the WFP, the deepest condolences and sympathies to the families, friends and colleagues of the WFP staff who were killed in Pakistan. I also want to add that my own thoughts and prayers are with those who were wounded and who were injured in the bombing attack, and we hope for their speedy recovery. Mr. Speaker, the bombing underscores the often precarious situation in which the WFP, and so many other humanitarian and aid workers around the globe, find themselves. And I, for one, can only thank them for their important and too often unrecognized service to humanity.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. I just wanted to come to the floor as a native of Massachusetts to say how proud I am that we will honor Edward Brooke with a Congressional Gold Medal. And I am proud of all the accomplishments of Senator Brooke. He was a Republican, and I'm a Democrat and I come from a family of Democrats. But my very first vote when I was eligible to vote was for Senator Brooke. And I voted for him in spite of the fact that he was a Republican. I voted for him because I believed in him and I believed in what he stood for. I admired his being a champion of civil rights, of human rights. I admired his work on the Voting Rights Act and so many other areas. He was a historic figure, it has been pointed out the first popularly elected African American to serve in the United States Senate. But he was a man who had the common touch and who represented the people of Massachusetts with great dignity, and I am proud that my first vote was for Ed Brooke. I look forward to being there when he is honored. But I wanted to just say, as somebody from Massachusetts, that this is a really special tribute for an extraordinary man. And I am very proud that this House is doing that.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. I want to thank the gentlewoman from California, and I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Boozman. I want to thank the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Howard Berman, for all of his help and support in bringing this resolution to the floor in a timely manner. I especially want to thank the chairman's staff person, Peter Quilter, whose expertise on Latin America is so greatly appreciated by so many Members on and off the committee. Mr. Speaker, as many of my colleagues know, I spent 13 years working for our former colleague from Boston, Massachusetts, Congressman Joe Moakley. I handled foreign policy issues for Joe, and in the early 1980s Joe asked me to go to El Salvador to see if the stories he had been hearing from Salvadoran refugees about the situation on the ground were true. As I prepared for the trip, whenever I asked who should I see and talk to in order to understand what is going on in El Salvador, the response was always the same: you have to go to the University of Central America, otherwise known as the UCA. And that's how I first met the director of the UCA, Father Ignacio Ellacuria, and the vice rector, Father Ignacio Martin Baro. When I asked Father Martin Baro what was the single most important thing I needed to know about the human rights situation in El Salvador, he said to me, remember, we are human beings, too. That meeting and those words forever changed my life. During later months and later visits, I got the chance to meet with Father Segundo Montes, an expert on the refugee crisis in El Salvador, as hundreds of thousands of Salvadorans fled the violence of the civil war and made their way to the United States. As Congressman Moakley developed legislation to provide temporary protection to Salvadoran refugees in the United States, Father Montes testified before Congress and provided invaluable materials and help in documenting and understanding the refugee crisis. Mr. Speaker, 20 years ago in the dead of night, the Salvadoran Army entered the grounds of the University of Central America. They pulled six Jesuit priests from their beds, including Fathers Ellacuria, Martin Baro, and Segundo Montes, marched them out to a lawn behind their residence, they put high-powered rifles to their heads, and they shot them dead in cold blood. A few minutes later, these same soldiers discovered the Jesuits' housekeeper and her daughter hiding in the house, and they murdered them as well. In response, then-Speaker Tom Foley appointed a congressional commission, chaired by Joe Moakley, to investigate this terrible crime. Joe asked me to be his chief investigator. And during the course of that work, we helped identify the killers and those responsible for ordering and covering up this terrible tragedy. The commission's report became critical evidence in the prosecution and conviction of some of the priest killers and I believe in creating support for the U.N.-brokered negotiations that ended El Salvador's 12- year civil war. So it's with deep humility and appreciation that I applaud the House for taking up this resolution today which honors the memories and lives and works of these six priests and two women and the work of Congressman Moakley and the Speaker's Special Task Force on El Salvador. The Jesuit priests dedicated their lives to peace, to bringing the warring parties inside El Salvador together to end violence and the war. A generation has now grown up in El Salvador without having known them or benefited from their wisdom or humor, but every year on November 16, their lives and work are remembered in El Salvador and around the world. And each year, another generation of young people re- dedicate themselves to working for peace and justice because of the example and inspiration of these six Jesuit priests. Mr. Speaker, I have walked on the site behind the Jesuits' residence, the very ground where, 20 years ago, the bodies of my friends were discovered. This hallowed ground is now a beautiful rose garden, and each day people from all over El Salvador and around the world come to the garden to nourish hope and renew their commitment to peace. It is used by faculty and students for meditation and repose. There is now a chapel where the six priests are buried. The UCA has also installed a small and emotionally compelling museum dedicated to the lives and deaths of these six priests, their housekeeper and her daughter. Mr. Speaker, the lives and deaths of these priests had a profound effect on my own life. I knew them in life. I was proud to call them friends. I helped investigate and uncover who ordered and carried out their murders. And I have remained involved and committed to peace, democracy, and development in El Salvador. I will never forget my friends or the role of Joe Moakley or the role the U.S. Congress played in helping El Salvador end its long civil war because of the impact inside and outside of El Salvador that the murders of these incredible men had on changing the course of El Salvador's history. Nothing will bring my friends back to life, but this resolution honoring and remembering their lives and work on this, the occasion of the 20th anniversary of their deaths, is a worthy tribute, and I ask my colleagues to support the resolution.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of John Keeton of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Mr. Keeton has been an outstanding Democratic activist for more than twenty years throughout Worcester County. An attorney in the Worcester area, Mr. Keeton's devotion to the pursuit of justice has portrayed his passions of human rights, social justice, and equality for all. In acknowledgement of his dedication, passionate beliefs, and hard work, Mr. Keeton has been selected to receive the 2009 Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award from the Shrewsbury Democratic Town Committee. Raised in a family devoted to the ideals President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt espoused, John Keeton grew up with and advocated for such beliefs throughout his career as an attorney and political activist. Mr. Keeton, along with his wife Patricia, has been involved in campaigns for prominent figures such as Governor Deval Patrick and Hillary Clinton. I will be forever grateful for his friendship over the years. Throughout his distinguished career, John Keeton has been involved in both the Westborough and Shrewsbury Democratic Town Committees. Having distinguished himself as the Chair of the Shrewsbury Town Committee, Mr. Keeton not only presided over a period of great success for the committee, but became widely recognized as a loyal and committed Democrat in Worcester County. John Keeton's dedication to the principles of justice and Democratic ideals has worked to positively enhance Worcester County. His tireless efforts and activism is admired by many, including those who Mr. Keeton has campaigned for. In tribute to his outstanding efforts for the Democratic Committees throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I congratulate Mr. Keeton on receiving this award. I know my colleagues will join me in paying tribute to him today.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the late Michael Louis VonBehren of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. At Michael's young age he already symbolized what we all hope to be. He actively exhibited enthusiasm for academics, for community service and for the Democratic Party. In acknowledgement of his commitment and dedication to the Shrewsbury Democratic Town Committee, this year's annual Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Youth Award is dedicated in his memory. Michael VonBehren was an engaging young man who loved the democratic process. Michael was a student at Shrewsbury High School where he was involved in clubs such as Young Democrats, Political Action Group, and Model U.N. Although he was involved in various clubs and organizations, he still found the time to serve his community. Michael was a caring and kind young man who loved to help those that were less fortunate. He read to homeless children at a local shelter and was a talented video producer at his high school. Michael VonBehren was one of those rare teenagers that crossed normal boundaries and surrounded himself with those that shared his interests and beliefs whether they were his peers or a fellow volunteer on the campaign trail. There is no way of knowing what Michael would have done in the future. All that is sure is that he would have made a difference in our world. Michael was an exemplary student and citizen who showed others kindness and enthusiasm everyday of his life. Michael's unfaltering commitment to fairness and justice and his dedication to public service greatly benefitted our community. In tribute to his outstanding service to the community of Shrewsbury, I am proud to honor the memory of Michael Louis VonBehren with the dedication of the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Youth Award to him. I know all my colleagues will join me in paying tribute to him today.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Deborah Peeples of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Through Mrs. Peeples' public service and dedication to the community she inspires us all. In acknowledgement of her service and commitment to the advancement of the Democratic Party, Deborah has been selected to receive the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award from the Shrewsbury Democratic Town Committee. Deborah has done a tremendous amount of work for the Town of Shrewsbury. She has served as an elected Town Meeting Member and member of the Shrewsbury School Committee. During this time she played an active role in four school building projects. Currently, Mrs. Peeples serves as the Treasurer for the Board of Friends of the Shrewsbury Public Library. She founded and ran the Summer R.E.C.E.S.S. reading program which continues to this day. Deborah Peeples is dedicated to improving the community of Shrewsbury. Deborah Peeples has been an active member and is the current Co-Vice Chair of the Town Democratic Committee. She has been involved in Democratic campaigns for a very long time, from leafleting for George McGovern in 1972 and more recently, campaigning for Hillary Clinton, Shannon O'Brien, Bill Clinton and Deval Patrick. I will be forever grateful to her for her friendship and hard work helping in my Congressional campaigns. Deborah is a graduate of Washington University in St Louis. Currently she serves as Executive Director of ELNA (Education and Leadership for a Nonviolent Age) Collaborative, working with middle and high school students promoting leadership, civic participation and social activism. Deborah's devotion to the betterment of our community and her commitment to public service enrich us all. In tribute to her outstanding service to the Town of Shrewsbury, I congratulate my friend, Deborah Peeples on receiving this award. I know all my colleagues will join me in paying tribute to her.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of my good friends the late Thomas and Thelma Zekos of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Mr. and Mrs. Zekos inspired those that knew them, dedicating their service to the advancement of the local community. In acknowledgement of their devotion and commitment to the Shrewsbury Democratic Town Committee, the annual Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Awards are being dedicated in their memory. Tom and Thelma were proud to make Shrewsbury their home knowing it was an excellent place to raise a family. They wanted the best for their children and instilled in them strong values and believed a quality education was absolutely essential. Their formula for a bright and successful future was to work hard and play by the rules. Mr. and Mrs. Zekos were inspiring and impassioned Democrats. They believed their family would be best served by supporting candidates who espoused Democratic principles. Throughout their 50 years of marriage, they worked tirelessly for an array of Democratic candidates. They always went the extra mile. I will be forever grateful to them for their support and friendship over the years. Tom and Thelma Zekos's dedication and commitment to a strong work ethic and moral values made an impact on our community. In tribute to their outstanding service to the community of Shrewsbury and to the Democratic Party, I am proud to honor the memory of Tom and Thelma with the dedication of the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Awards to them. I know all my colleagues will join me in paying tribute to them both today.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, let me be clear to my colleagues, the bill before us was filed over a week ago, so this debate we're having is not about process. This really is about substance. And I am sad that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have a problem with child nutrition programs. They have no problem when it comes to corporate tax breaks. They have no problems when it comes to immunity for big drug companies. But here they are on the floor today, they have a problem with child nutrition programs. I should say to my colleague from North Carolina, poor kids don't want a handout. They don't want the government to provide them with a free meal. They wish that they weren't in that position. Unfortunately, the tough times that they find themselves in require us to help out. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert into the Record an article from the Star-News entitled, ``Hungry Eyes--More N.C. children go without food.'' [From the Wilmington (NC) Star News, Aug. 15, 2009] Hungry Eyes--More N.C. Children Go Without Food (By Amanda Greene) The three children hadn't eaten a full meal in two days. In desperation, their grandparents knocked on the door of a downtown Wilmington church. The children waited in the car as their grandparents asked the minister at the door for help. He gave them a box of pop-top cans of Vienna sausages and pork and beans. ``They got the food, drove out of the parking lot and stopped beside the road to feed the kids right away,'' said Jennifer Caslin, development manager at the Wilmington branch of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Such scenes are increasingly common here and throughout the state as joblessness and the weak economy put ever greater strains on an already thin safety net. You don't have to look hard to see hungry children in North Carolina. Whether it's families skipping breakfast so the food will stretch through dinner, or eating packaged foods, because fruits and vegetables are too expensive, many of the state's children aren't eating balanced, nutritious meals. In May, Feeding America, the largest food bank network in the country, released the results of its first analysis of food insecurity in early childhood, ``Child Food Insecurity in the United States: 2005-2007.'' North Carolina ranked second worst in the nation with 24.1 percent of its children under 5 judged to be food insecure and lacking regular access to nutritional food. The state was 10th worst in the same Feeding America study of food insecurity in children 0-18 years old, using figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Nationally, the food insecurity average is 17 percent for children under 5. Demand for food at the nation's food banks has increased 30 percent in the past year, said Ross Fraser, media relations manager for Feeding America. ``So many people have been plunged into poverty,'' he said, ``and it's terrible for children because it stunts their growth in all ways.'' Indicators of food insecurity in North Carolina include high child poverty rates, the 11 percent unemployment rate, broken families, the high price of fresh food and a 21 percent increase in households with food stamps since 2007, said Alexandra Sirota, director of policy and research, Action for Children North Carolina in Raleigh. North Carolina ranked 37th in child well-being in the recently released 2009 Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation using factors such as the percent of low- birth-weight babies, infant mortality rate, child death rate, teen death rate, teen birth rate, percent of teenaged high school dropouts, percent of teens not attending school and not working, percent of children in families without a parent with full-time and year-round employment, percent of children in poverty and percent of children in single-parent families. The state did improve one level from its 38th ranking in 2008. Often the youngest children fall through the cracks, subject to their parents' ability--or inability-- to provide nutritious foods. ``There are a lot of programs that are available once (kids) get into the school system, but those aren't always available for young children until school age,'' Sirota added. ``The fact that families are both losing their jobs and earning such low wages that they're living in extreme poverty is an indicator of that added stress when you're trying to feed the family.'' bridging the gap When parents can't feed their children regularly, often the schools, local social service networks and churches try to fill the need. And in the summers, when school's out, the need for meals for children increases. The New Hanover County school district hosts a federally-funded Summer Food Service for Children Program at 15 schools and community centers in the county for any child, 18 years old or younger, to eat a lunch-time meal. For six weeks this summer, the program served about 700 kids each day. That number is slightly lower than previous years because funding for the program came in after the end of school this year and didn't get advertised, said Anne Ohlson, schools child nutrition supervisor. ``We do see a lot of hungry children who are waiting for us when we show up with the food,'' said Imer Smith, director of Child Nutrition for New Hanover County Schools. Historically, most of those children would show up at inner-city sites, but the number of children coming to the program's sites outside the city is increasing. An 8-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother were among a crowd of about 10 children who were waiting for the Food Service lunch to start at the doors of the Jervay Communities meeting center one day a few weeks ago. The girl and her brother walked from their Jervay home across the square to the center each day that week for lunch. Lunch was a turkey and cheese sandwich, cucumber slices with ranch dressing, a peach cup and skim chocolate milk. ``I love ranch on my sandwich,'' the little boy said, smiling and slathering his bun. During the school year, Caroline Hines is seeing more and more parents who can't pay their child's food accounts as food service director at Rachel Freeman Elementary School. Parents who don't qualify for free or reduced meals have sent her notes asking her not to allow their children to eat if they don't bring money with them because the parents can't afford the charge: $1.25 for breakfast or $2 for lunch. Defaulted lunch accounts at all New Hanover schools have risen from $18,223 in 2008 to $29,203 at the end of last school year. New Hanover County Schools saw an increase in children in free and reduced lunch programs from 9,792 in 2007-08 to 10,375 in 2008-09. ``I had a child who came in at breakfast and waited until the end to get the leftover food that no one had opened,'' Hines said, adding that teachers and school social workers sometimes buy students meals. Some parents won't fill out the free lunch forms because ``they think people will know their child needed it.''

Mr. McGOVERN. I yield the gentlelady an additional 2 minutes.

Mr. McGOVERN. I yield myself 30 seconds. I find it interesting the gentleman's not talking about the bill before us, which, as he failed to mention, was actually filed last Wednesday. It's been over a week that people have had access to this bill. He's right about one thing: we are changing the way we do business in this House compared to when the Republicans were in charge. We are changing our priorities. When they were in charge, they were talking about immunity for big drug companies, talking about corporate tax breaks. What we're talking about in this bill is making sure that our kids have breakfasts and lunches and good nutritional programs; making sure that our farmers get the food they deserve. I'd like to yield 5 minutes to the distinguished chairman of the Rules Committee, the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter).

Mr. McGOVERN. I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\3/4\ minutes to the gentleman from California, the Chair of the Education and Labor Committee, Mr. Miller.

Mr. McGOVERN. I yield the gentlelady an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. McGOVERN. I yield the gentlelady 2 additional minutes.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 799 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. General Leave

Mr. McGOVERN. I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 799.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 799 provides for consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 2997, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010. The rule waives all points of order against the conference report on H.R. 2997 and against its consideration, and the rule provides that the previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervention of any motion except one hour of debate and one motion to recommit, if applicable. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the conference report for the fiscal year 2010 Agriculture Appropriations conference report. This is a good bill, one that went through the regular order. It is, in fact, the third appropriations conference report that this body will consider this year. I want to especially commend Subcommittee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro and Ranking Member Jack Kingston, as well as the other subcommittee members, for their efforts in completing this bill. Mr. Speaker, this bill is one that normally doesn't get a lot of attention but, in reality, is one of the most important bills that we can pass. I wish the allocation, Mr. Speaker, for this bill, quite frankly, was higher than it is because there is a great need for the programs that make up this bill. This conference report funds the following areas at the Department of Agriculture: public health programs, rural communities, agriculture research, animal health and marketing programs, and conservation. Most importantly, this bill funds domestic and international antihunger and nutrition programs, programs that literally put food in the mouths of hundreds of millions of hungry people here at home and around the world. Mr. Speaker, this bill is $2.7 billion more than last year and $325 million more than the President's request, a 13 percent increase over last year's bill. Following my opening statement, we will hear from my friends on the other side, and I expect that they will talk about how this bill spends too much money and that this increase is simply unnecessary, especially during these difficult economic times. Well, Mr. Speaker, this increase is needed now more than ever. Just look at where the increases in this bill are targeted: to the areas of nutrition, international food assistance, and food and drug safety. Simply, these increases go to protect our food supply and to provide food for those who either cannot afford it or do not have access to it. It is unconscionable to me that anyone can complain about helping people in need during these tough economic times. Today, there are over 36 million low-income individuals who rely on the SNAP program, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. The sad fact is that this is a record number of people who are currently relying on this safety net program. This bill provides over $58 billion for the SNAP program, an increase of more than $4 billion from 2009. WIC is funded at $7.2 billion, an increase of almost $400 million. This increase will provide up to 9.6 million women, infants, and children help with a healthy pregnancy and a healthy start in life. The Commodity Supplemental Food Program, a program that provides nutritious food to low-income women, infants, children, and elderly citizens who all struggle with rising food costs, is funded at $171 million. That is $11 million more than 2009 and $9 million more than the President's request. Finally, the Child Nutrition Programs, school meals and snacks, receive almost $17 billion, $1.9 billion above the 2009 levels. Hunger is a real problem in America, and this bill provides funding that keeps the safety net intact. Look at one of the more affluent areas in this country, Fairfax County in Virginia. According to a recent Washington Post article, Fairfax churches and nonprofit organizations report a 39 percent increase in food assistance in the fourth quarter of 2008 when compared with the fourth quarter of 2007. Let me repeat that, a 39 percent increase. ``Almost half of the respondents reported helping families that had never asked for aid before, many of them former middle class residents now unemployment or facing foreclosure.'' I will insert this article into the Record at the end of my statement. Mr. Speaker, this is just one example of how hunger is creeping into areas of the country that are not used to seeing hunger. Food banks, WIC clinics, and SNAP processors are the ones providing food for people who simply cannot make ends meet. Yet some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle say we cannot afford to properly fund these programs, insinuating that we should turn our backs on these people who are in desperate need. I, for one, make no apologies for these increases in food and nutrition programs. We have a moral obligation to step up to the plate to help the most vulnerable people during these difficult times. Internationally, the need is just as great. This bill provides critical funding for the Food for Peace program and McGovern-Dole Food for Education program. Overall, there is $1.89 billion provided for international food aid programs. That is an increase of $564 million over 2009. The P.L. 480 Food for Peace Title II grants program receives $1.69 billion, which is $464 million above 2009. And a program close to my heart, the McGovern-Dole program, is more than doubled from the previous year. In 2010, this important program will receive $209.5 million, $10 million more than President Obama's request and $109.5 million more than 2009 levels. Mr. Speaker, for too long this country has underfunded international food and nutrition programs. This bill is changing that course. We are putting more money up front for development, providing assistance before it becomes an emergency that we and the rest of the world have to respond to. This is appropriate and necessary, and I applaud Chairwoman DeLauro for working to right the misguided policies of the previous administration. I would add that investing in food and nutrition programs overseas and investing in smart development is in our national security interests. Taking a global leadership role in combating hunger and fighting global poverty I think is something that wins us the hearts and minds of people all over the world, and I want to again commend Chairwoman DeLauro for her leadership. I am also pleased that there is more than $33 million for eradication of the Asian longhorn beetle, an increase of more than $13 million over last year. This funding will help USDA in their efforts to help in identifying and eradicating the infestation of this pest. While more funding is needed, and I will be asking the USDA for additional emergency funding for this effort, the funding included in this bill is welcome and I appreciate its inclusion. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to address the tragic bombing of the United Nations World Food Program offices in Islamabad, Pakistan. The World Food Program benefits from the international food aid programs that are funded in this bill. WFP is an excellent partner and is on the front lines of many of the efforts to combat hunger and starvation around the world. Josette Sheeran and everyone at WFP do an excellent job, and I am pleased to be able to work with them as they work to end hunger around the world. I want to convey my deepest condolences and sympathies to the family and friends and colleagues of the WFP staff who were killed in Pakistan. My thoughts and prayers are also with those who were wounded and injured in the bombing attack, and we hope for their full recovery. The bombing underscores the often dangerous situations in which the World Food Program and so many other humanitarian relief workers find themselves. And I, for one, can only thank them for their important and too often unrecognized service to humanity. [From the Washington Post, Sept. 29, 2009] Whole Foods to Food Banks (By Annie Gowen) The Germantown woman was loading boxes of food from the Manna food bank into a shiny sport-utility vehicle one recent afternoon when she was approached by a donor dropping off food. ``What group are you with?'' the donor asked the woman, who promptly burst into tears. With her Toyota Sequoia and quilted Vera Bradley bag, she had been mistaken for a volunteer--rather than a client waiting to take home a bag of potatoes. ``I'm a mother of four just trying to feed my kids,'' the woman sobbed to the donor, who was taken aback, then sympathetic. Such awkward scenes are playing out frequently at food pantries and other charities across the region as they struggle to help the still upward-spiraling number of formerly middle-class people knocking on their doors. For the charities, the surge in demand has tested their resourcefulness--and sometimes their patience. Not only must they stock millions of pounds of additional food in bigger warehouses, but they also must adopt fresh tactics to help the newly needy, who can be more bewildered, more emotional and more selective than their traditional clients. One intake volunteer at Food for Others in Fairfax County, for example, has learned that the formerly affluent won't wait outside in line for food at evening neighborhood giveaways, lest they be spotted. ``We have more people than ever coming here thinking they'd never ever be here,'' said Amy Ginsburg, executive director of Manna Food Center in Montgomery County. Manna, along with most food area pantries, requires people to prove by income that they need assistance. The group is moving into a 12,000-square-foot warehouse in Gaithersburg on Oct. 5 to meet the growing need. Manna gave away 3.1 million pounds of food to 102,519 Montgomery County residents last fiscal year, up from 2.1 million pounds the year before. They've increased food drives, and cash donations have kept pace. Manna's workers and volunteers try to make the experience as dignified as possible for everyone, helping clients load their cars and handing out juice boxes and pretzels to families waiting in increasingly longer lines. On a recent morning, residents dressed in pressed khakis waited for boxes of fresh produce, meat and canned goods alongside those in dirty T-shirts. ``Not having enough money for food is a bizarre, foreign experience'' for the new needy, Ginsburg explained. ``They're still getting over the shock.'' Ginsburg and others running local charities expect the number of residents seeking help to continue to rise even as the economy improves. Jobless numbers are increasing, they point out, while severance checks and unemployment benefits are running out. Fairfax found in a recent survey of 89 churches and nonprofit organizations that 32,044 households received food assistance in the last quarter of 2008, a 39 percent increase from the previous year's fourth quarter. Almost half of the respondents reported helping families that had never asked for aid before--many of them former middle-class residents now unemployed or facing foreclosure. Wanda Moloney, client relations manager at Loudoun Interfaith Relief, which served 56,000 residents last year, said her group gives food to 100 new families a week. Increasingly, Interfaith volunteers from some of Loudoun's most affluent neighborhoods find themselves packing boxes for their friends and neighbors. Nobody knows what to say. ``You can see it in the eye contact,'' Moloney said. ``The tears say it all.'' Barbara Curtis, 61, said that the experience of getting groceries from the food pantry was ``startling at first.'' She and her husband, Tripp, lost their sprawling Loudoun home this year after he became ill and was unable to work. With five children at home, their descent from a comfortable middle-class life seemed to happen overnight. ``It really let me see how vulnerable we all are,'' Curtis said. Terry Wilson, 43, a floral designer, also sought help in Loudoun after he was bumped from full time to part time at work and lost his benefits. But it wasn't easy. The first time he pulled open the door and took in the crowd in the waiting room, he turned around and walked out. ``It was like, `Whoa . . . I can't do this,' '' he recalled Wednesday as he picked up food for the second time. But then he realized having the groceries could help him shift money to his utility bill and his car payment. ``Everyone else is doing it, and times are tough. Let's suck it up and see what happens.'' Out in the Manna parking lot, the Germantown woman--who was visiting the food bank for the second time and did not want her name used to spare her children embarrassment--was inspecting her food allotment with the zeal of a soccer mom at Whole Foods. She turned to Manna for help after her husband refinanced their home into a costly subprime mortgage and then moved out. She has been able to get the mortgage modified, but her finances remain precarious. She checked the expiration date on a carton of soy milk, unscrewed the lid of a jar of organic peanut butter to make sure it was sealed and read the label on a tube of ground turkey. The turkey did not pass muster, and she politely returned it to a Manna staffer. ``I don't know what's in it,'' she explained. ``It's a double-edged sword,'' she said. ``You can't go without food, but certain foods at Manna, no way I'm going to feed my kids. It's kind of snotty.'' She rejoiced in a big bag of day-old bagels, sport drinks and doughnuts, treats she could no longer afford to buy her sons. At times, this changing face of need has sparked moments of confusion and discomfort for those who are trying to help. Christine Lucas, executive director of the Arlington Food Assistance Center, said she is often asked by volunteers and donors about the number of clients driving fancy cars. (A well-dressed couple who declined to be interviewed was there recently, putting their sacks into a Cadillac.) Lucas responds that it could be an employer's car or a family hanging onto its last asset. Or it could be the formerly middle-class mom with Calvin Klein sunglasses perched atop her head who said she was going to have to search Epicurious.com for recipes that use black beans because the pantry had given her so many cans. Appearances can be deceiving, as Debbie Lane and her two children discovered when they drove out to an affluent neighborhood in Chantilly to deliver $200 worth of school supplies to a needy family. Lane, of Fairfax, said her kids had offered to reuse some of their school supplies from last year so that they could contribute to the back-to-school drive, organized by the food pantry Our Daily Bread. ``My son, who is 8, said, `Mom, if this is the neighborhood we're dropping these things off in, I think we should turn our car around,' '' Lane recalled. ``It was a great segue for me to talk about what poverty does and does not look like.'' But even she was surprised at the size and scope of ``this palatial home with two brand-new expensive cars in the driveway. I was really grappling with this. I was thinking, `This is crazy.' '' She later learned that what she had tried to explain to her kids was true: The family that needed the supplies was renting rooms in the home's basement and had recently seen its income drop when the mother died of cancer. The Germantown mother of four said she knew why she'd been mistaken for a volunteer by the donor dropping off food--it was her car. ``Because I have the [Sequoia], she thought I was doing the same thing she was, I guess,'' the woman speculated. She watched the donor drive away with a mix of envy and sadness, remembering what it was like ``to be normal.'' ``What a glorious feeling . . . to be able to give to other people,'' she said. ``It is a better feeling to give than to receive. But sometimes you have to receive.'' I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. I will reserve my time at this point in time, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The gentleman from California is correct when he says that his side was guilty of air-dropping provisions into conference reports. I remember one time being up in the Rules Committee when a Department of Defense bill came before the committee. And after the conferees had finished all their work, all of a sudden this kind of mysterious language appeared providing immunity to drug companies that produced drugs that were not safe. And the reality was, Mr. Speaker, that they did that after the conference had finished up. In this case here it's very, very different. In this case here, the child nutrition reauthorization, a bill we had hoped to have already done by now, is not completed. And if, in fact, this language was not put in here to extend expiring child nutrition authorization programs-- and let me just kind of tell people what that is. It's things like school breakfasts and school lunches and after-school meals for kids who otherwise wouldn't get access to meals or nutrition. So that language, which was agreed to by the authorizers, was put into this bill. Now, if we want to have an argument about process, fine. But the reality is here: if you did not do this right now, these programs would expire. And I don't know of anybody, maybe on your side they do, but I know for the majority on this side, people do not want those programs to expire because people depend on them.