President Obama's Weekly Address 10/19/13: Working Together on Behalf of the American People

In this week's address, President Obama said that now that the Federal government is reopened and the threat of default is lifted from the economy, there are three places Washington can take action to serve the American people. First, it's time for a balanced, responsible approach to the budget that grows the economy and shrinks our long term deficits. Second, we must fix our broken immigration system. And finally, Congress should pass a farm bill to give rural communities the opportunity to grow. The President said it's time to put aside politics and work on behalf of the American people and the country we love.

Pallone: We Cannot Allow Children and Families to Go Hungry

Congressman Visits Elijah’s Promise, Calls on GOP to Stop Crippling Critical Food Assistance Program

New Brunswick, NJ – At a visit today to Elijah’s Promise in New Brunswick, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) held a press conference with local hunger advocates decrying cuts to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP or food stamps) on the heels of House Republicans’ latest effort to dismantle the program. Yesterday, House Republicans voted to remove critical SNAP funding from the Farm Bill, effectively killing the program.

“SNAP is our nation’s most important anti-hunger safety net program and is one of the most effective and efficient federal programs, with one of the lowest – if not the lowest – rates of fraud, waste and abuse,” said Congressman Pallone. “The Republicans’ never ending effort to cut and dismantle this program is cruel and does not reflect our values. In the wealthiest country in the world, we can’t allow our children and families to go hungry.”

According to the New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition, about 897,376 people were living below poverty level in New Jersey in 2011. The food insecurity level in the state was 12.7% overall and 19% for children, meaning 394,240 children were living in food insecure households.

Currently, 873,657 New Jersey residents and nearly one in seven Americans rely on SNAP to help cover the cost of their meals. The program provides basic nutrition assistance to qualifying low-income Americans, including senior citizens and children, and has largely eliminated severe hunger and malnutrition in the United States. SNAP is a powerful anti-poverty program, and lifted about 4.7 million Americans above the poverty line in 2011, including about 2.1 million children. Roughly 91 percent of SNAP benefits go to households with incomes below the poverty line.

The Republican effort to further cut SNAP would mean more Americans, including children, will go hungry and malnourished, and an influx of pressure would be put on community soup kitchens.

Pallone has been outspoken in his support of SNAP and has called on House Republicans to stop holding the critical food assistance program hostage for political purposes. This week, Pallone voted against the FARM Bill that completely omitted the SNAP program from reauthorization, and he is a cosponsor of H. Res. 90, a resolution calling for an end of any further reductions to SNAP, which House Republicans have yet to bring up for a vote.

Pallone was joined today by Adele LaTourette, Director of New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition and Lisanne Finston, Executive Director of Elijah’s Promise. Elijah’s Promise is a community soup kitchen, culinary arts school, catering business, and pay-as-you-can café that connects low-income individuals and families with social and health services. Elijah’s Promise serves 100,000 meals per year and trains previously unskilled workers for careers in the food service industry.

President Obama's Weekly Address 9/22/12: Congress Must Act to Create Jobs and Grow the Economy

WASHINGTON, DC—In his weekly address, President Obama told the American people that the House of Representatives left town last week without finishing important work that would create jobs and strengthen our economy. Congress left proposals sitting on the table like the veterans’ jobs corps that helps returning heroes find work as cops and firefighters, and the farm bill that helps farmers and ranchers respond to natural disasters like the drought we had this summer. Congress also could have given responsible homeowners the opportunity to save an extra $3,000 a year on their mortgages by refinancing at historically low rates, and 98% of Americans and 97% of small business owners a guarantee that taxes will not go up next year. These proposals have bipartisan support, and there is no reason that they shouldn’t be passed. The President calls on Congress to take these steps when they return to work in November to grow our economy based on a strong and secure middle class and move our country forward.

President Obama's Weekly Address 8/11/12 : All-Hands-On-Deck Response to the Drought

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama discussed the Administration’s all-hands-on-deck approach to one of the worst droughts in more than fifty years. This drought is especially hard on farmers and ranchers who are facing poor crops and are struggling to feed their animals. That is why the Administration is doing everything possible to give them the tools to fight back and recover. The Administration has taken steps including opening more federal land for haying and grazing, giving farmers, ranchers, and small businesses access to low-interest emergency loans, and providing assistance to get more water to livestock and restore land affected by the drought. But the Administration can’t do this alone. The President reiterated his call on Congress to join him in taking action by passing a farm bill that makes necessary reforms while helping farmers and ranchers respond to these types of natural disasters and providing the certainty they deserve.