releases: https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=9e99d77d-4718-47ef-8147-4e1a90f08986
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
This data as json
| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=9e99d77d-4718-47ef-8147-4e1a90f08986 | Heitkamp: Not a Proud Day for House of Representatives | 2013-09-19 | 2013 | 2013-09 | Democrat | House | ND | Heidi Heitkamp | H001069 | www.heitkamp.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today released the following statement after the House of Representatives voted for a bill to slash nutrition assistance programs for low-income families, children, seniors, and people who are disabled. On June 10, Heitkamp helped the Senate pass an overwhelmingly bipartisan Farm Bill that reduces the federal deficit by more than $23 billion. The bill reforms the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – which supports nutrition assistance programs – by closing loopholes, cracking down on abuse, and improving program integrity. In July, the House of Representatives passed a Farm Bill that completely removed the nutrition assistance provisions, putting low-income families across North Dakota and the country at risk. By taking out these lifesaving programs, which have been a crucial part of the Farm Bill for 50 years, the House is jeopardizing the passage of a comprehensive, long-term Farm Bill. “This is not a proud day for the House of Representatives. It is ironic that these are many of the same Members of Congress who bailed out the big banks, but when a family needs a little bit of help, they can’t seem to find a way to help them,” said Senator Heitkamp. “Not only did they vote to kick nearly four million people off nutrition assistance – including children, seniors, veterans, and disabled Americans. But they have seriously jeopardized the passage of a long-term Farm Bill that would provide certainty to North Dakota farmers and ranchers. Senate Agriculture Committee members of both parties have already suggested this effort is a non-starter. “The Senate did its part to pass a comprehensive, long-term, and bipartisan Farm Bill – just as we have done for 50 years. And I worked to make sure it included a number of provisions to help North Dakota. Sadly, the House is willing to throw it all away because they want to slash nutrition assistance programs that are lifelines for so many North Dakota and American families across the country. “These supports are modest, averaging only $1.40 per person per meal. And 44 percent of North Dakotans who benefit from the programs are children. But under the House proposal, at least four million low-income Americans, including many North Dakotans, will be prevented from receiving support during a time when they need it most. Ironically, these programs helped keep four million Americans out of poverty last year. “Just a few days ago, I met with North Dakota parents who benefit from the very nutrition assistance programs the House wants to drastically cut. We don’t live in a country that rips food safety-net programs out from under children and families who need them. “Now we need to get to work and negotiate a Senate-House compromise bill that works for North Dakotans. It’s past time for the House to step up to the plate, and stop playing political games with people’s lives – including the lives of our farmers and ranchers who need a long-term Farm Bill to do their jobs.” ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |