{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-delauro-house-democratic-caucus-call-speaker-boehner-not-push-more-americans", "Cohen, DeLauro, House Democratic Caucus Call on Speaker Boehner Not To Push More Americans Into Hunger", "2013-08-14", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN]\u00a0 \u2014 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) joined Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and more than 200 of his House colleagues in calling on Speaker Boehner not to push more Americans into hunger. In a letter, they urged the Speaker to include funding for nutrition programs in any future Farm Bill that comes before the House of Representatives. Nearly 270,000 residents of Shelby County, Tennessee, rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)\u2014more than double any other county in the state.\n\u201cThe Republican leadership recently forced through a Farm Bill reauthorization, H.R. 2642, which did not include the nutrition title, a major part of the Farm Bill that would reauthorize SNAP,\u201d the Members of Congress wrote. \u201cWe voted against this bill in large part because of this intentional omission. We strongly believe in the critical importance of SNAP. Given the essential nature of this program to millions of American families, the final language of the Farm Bill or any other legislation related to SNAP must be crafted to ensure that we do not increase hunger in America.\u201d\nAll the representatives and delegates who wrote to the Speaker opposed the version of the Farm Bill that passed the House of Representatives last month and did not include nutrition programs, as the Farm Bill traditionally has. The full text of the letter follows:\nAugust 13, 2013\nThe Honorable John Boehner \u00a0  \n\tThe Speaker \u00a0 \u00a0  \n\tH-232, The Capitol \u00a0 \u00a0  \n\tWashington, DC\u00a0 20515 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\nDear Speaker Boehner,\nThe Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is our country\u2019s most critical anti-hunger program, helping more than 47 million Americans meet their basic food needs at a time when more than 50 million Americans face the threat of food insecurity.\u00a0 Nearly half of SNAP enrollees are children, and the program helps feed roughly one in three children in America.\u00a0 Additionally, almost 75 percent of SNAP participants are in households with children, seniors, or a disabled individual.\nMore than half of the average household\u2019s SNAP allocation is used within 7 days, and by the third week of the month 90 percent of SNAP benefits have been redeemed, leaving many families without the resources they need to buy food.\u00a0 This inadequacy causes an added burden on food banks, as nearly 60 percent of the households receiving SNAP and using food banks have to rely on food banks at least 6 months a year.\u00a0 In addition, under current law each household participating in SNAP will see a benefit reduction when the temporary increase from the Recovery Act expires.\u00a0 This means that, beginning November 1st, each SNAP enrollee will see a cut to their benefit that is, on average, less than $1.50 per meal.\u00a0\nUnfortunately, the Republican leadership recently forced through a Farm Bill reauthorization, H.R. 2642, which did not include the nutrition title, a major part of the Farm Bill that would reauthorize SNAP. We voted against this bill in large part because of this intentional omission. We strongly believe in the critical importance of SNAP. Given the essential nature of this program to millions of American families, the final language of the Farm Bill or any other legislation related to SNAP must be crafted to ensure that we do not increase hunger in America.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-delauro-house-democratic-caucus-call-speaker-boehner-not-push-more-americans"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2662587687373161, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}