DeLauro Highlights Impact of Proposed Farm Bill on Hungry Families

House Legislation Could Cause Nearly Two Million toLose Food Stamp Benefits

NEW HAVEN, CT—At a press conference today with Connecticutanti-hunger leaders, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) highlighted the impactof the proposed Farm Bill on hungry families in Connecticut and across thenation. The U.S. House of Representatives' version of that bill will be debatedby the full chamber as soon as next week.

"Nearly 50 million Americans, including over 16 millionchildren, are struggling with hunger. Here in Connecticut's Third CongressionalDistrict, nearly one in seven households are not sure if they can afford enoughfood to feed their families. Food Stamps are America's most important effort todeal with hunger at home and ensure families can put food on the table. But thebill we are expecting to debate next week slashes more than $20 billion fromFood Stamps, hurting millions of Americans. These hurtful cuts are adereliction of our responsibilities to the American people, and our moralresponsibility to help the least fortunate among us."

The bill expected to come before the House ofRepresentatives next week would force nearly two million low-income Americansto go hungry, including one million children. It would also kick roughly210,000 low-income children off of the school lunch program. And many morelow-income Americans, mostly seniors and working families with children, wouldlose their benefits due to changes in the relationship between the calculationof Food Stamp benefits and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program(LIHEAP).

Joining DeLauro were: Nancy Carrington, President and CEO,Connecticut Food Bank; Lucy Nolan, Executive Director, End Hunger Connecticut;Shonda Hinton, Cornerstone Christian Church; Reverend Doctor Shelly Stackhouse,Church of the Redeemer, United Church of Christ; and Penelope Davis of Orange.