{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://payne.house.gov/press-release/payne-votes-against-increasing-hunger-america", "Payne Votes Against Increasing Hunger in America", "2013-09-19", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "NJ", "Donald Payne", "P000604", "payne.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. voted against the \u201cNutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act,\u201d Republican legislation which cuts basic food aid (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/SNAP) by nearly $40 billion, kicking nearly 4 million Americans off the program next year.\u00a0 The measure passed by a vote of 217 to 210.\n\u201cToday, I stood up for the hungry people across America, including the one million people on SNAP here in New Jersey,\u201d Rep. Payne, Jr. said. \u201cIt\u2019s completely unconscionable that Republicans would propose cutting SNAP by nearly $40 billion when 1 in 4 children in this country go to bed hungry. These draconian cuts will take the food out the mouths of nearly 4 million Americans next year alone, hurting children, seniors, and veterans the most.\u201d\n\u201cSNAP is a vital tool to fight hunger and help struggling Americans feed their families as they seek new employment, send their children to school, and get themselves back on their feet.\u00a0 More than 90 percent of people on SNAP are children, the elderly, disabled, or already working, but still struggle to put food on the table since SNAP benefits amount to only $1.50 per meal here in New Jersey,\u201d Rep. Payne, Jr. continued.\nThe bill contains a number of provisions that ignore the reality that nearly 400,000 New Jerseyans continue to struggle with unemployment.\u00a0 For example, the bill would end governors\u2019 ability to waive SNAP\u2019s harsh time limit for people looking for work in time of high unemployment.\u00a0 Further, the House bill will cut school lunches for over 200,000 children and eliminate food assistance for 170,000 veterans.\u00a0\n\u201cMembers of Congress who voted for this bill need to re-examine their consciences because today\u2019s shameful vote for this bill was a vote against the 1 in 4 children who go hungry in this country and the millions more who could be lifted out of poverty with some basic nutrition assistance,\u201d Rep. Payne, Jr. concluded.\n###", 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://payne.house.gov/press-release/payne-votes-against-increasing-hunger-america"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.2892439737915993, "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"}