by Ken Hall, Times Herald-Record on 5/23/13
Sean Patrick Maloney says he created an agriculture advisory committee to help him "make the Farm Bill better." The Cold Spring Democrat has local farmers and politicians telling him about the need to increase support for research, reduce unnecessary paperwork and in general make sure that the Hudson Valley gets the most out of his spot on the House Agriculture Committee.
Too bad he left out another group from his district, one that could have used his help, or at least his vote, last week. With no poor kids on the committee, no poor moms to advise Maloney about what life is like when the food runs out and there's no money to buy more, he voted to cut $20 billion from the food stamp program. Over the next 10 years, this cut in what is now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will take food stamps away from 2 million people, mostly low-income working families and the elderly. In addition, more than 200,000 youngsters will no longer qualify for reduced price school lunches because their eligibility is tied to the food stamp program.
Maloney had company on this committee vote. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, also approved the reduction, the largest since 1996 at a time when the national recession has driven more working families and elderly to seek such help in the Hudson Valley and elsewhere.
This was not one of those votes that got all tied up in parliamentary maneuvers. This was an uncomplicated, up-or-down decision on an amendment sponsored by Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. It would have restored the money to the bill before it left the committee on its way to the full House.
They faced a clear choice. Help those who need it or don't, and they chose not to.
As McGovern said after the vote, "I think we're better than this. These are not thoughtful, innovative cuts. They're just cuts. They're going to hurt people."
Over in the U.S. Senate, Kirsten Gillibrand is leading the fight to defeat a similar but much smaller reduction. She sees the choices that seem to have eluded Maloney and Gibson.
"I am deeply concerned with the drastic cuts this bill makes to SNAP that will literally take food away from hungry children while protecting corporate welfare for insurance companies based in Bermuda, Australia and Switzerland who don't need it. These are the wrong priorities ... "Families who are living in poverty - hungry children, seniors, troops and veterans who are just trying to figure out how to keep the lights on and put food on the table - they did not spend this nation into debt and we should not be trying to balance the budget on their backs. They deserve better."
Gibson and Maloney have both issued lengthy press releases about all of the good things this new Farm Bill does for local farmers. They congratulated themselves for all the special provisions in the bill that they had proposed and supported.
They didn't mention food stamps.
Contact the author at thrkenhall@gmail.com
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