DeLauro Voices Strong Opposition to Partisan, Immoral Farm Bill

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) releasedthe following statement denouncing the partisan, immoral Farm Bill (H.R. 2642,Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act) before the House ofRepresentatives today. The legislation was unveiled late last night and isbeing pushed through the House today with just an hour to debate its merits.

"A vote for this bill is a vote to end nutrition programs inAmerica, pure and simple. This bill would throw millions of American familiesaside. This splits the entire nutrition title from the farm bill, with noindication that the Majority intends to actually take up those programs in thenear future.

"Let us be clear about what is at stake here. Food Stampsare the critical central strand of our social safety net, and our country'smost important effort to deal with hunger. They help over 47 million Americans,nearly half of them children. The bill before us would mean the deathknell of this program, and the other nutrition programs that have been part ofthe Farm Bill for decades. This bill is not just immoral; it is a serious riskto our society.

"This bill shows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that theMajority just do not believe in these critical anti-hunger and nutritionprograms, despite all the demonstrable good they do. A vote for this bill is avote to end nutrition programs in America. It is a vote to break thelongstanding bipartisan compact that the farm bill represented for decades. Itis a vote to take food out of the mouths of hungry children, seniors, veterans,and disabled Americans. These are the people the Republican majority has calledextraneous. They are not extraneous.

"This bill is immoral, and it is a serious risk to oursociety. I urge my colleagues to reject it."