Military defense, international relations and economic growth are the areas we tend to focus on when discussing our national security. We tend to overlook one of the most critical - at least in my point of view - topic, which is the issue of food security. I agree that possessing a strong military power and good infrastructure is important to strengthening any nation, but if we do not have a stable food source to feed our country; how are we going to maintain the future workforce of America?
During the current debate on the FARM bill, we can clearly see how we prioritize the subsidy component in the Ag bill over the nutritional/food security aspect. If we look at the facts, we can see how 1 out of 6 people in United States are suffering from hunger and how 16.7 million children live in food insecure households. With the grand justification of sequestration, most republicans have urge to cut down the budget for the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program better known as SNAP, by 40 billion over the next 10 years. If we take for account that 47% of all SNAP households contain children, we see that the future of this nation is suffering the most.
The thriving middle class is the reason why this country has become a great nation. SNAP serves as leverage for the low-income population to transit to the middle class. It is not unlikely to hear anecdotes of people that used to be on SNAP and now have their own business. During the House debate on the FARM bill, we were heartened when we learned that even some members of congress had to rely on SNAP at some point in their lives. SNAP serves as a social insurance for many of our brothers and sisters during difficult times.
When looking at the hardships of our fellow Americans what some people may view as entitlement to programs like SNAP others view as a social safety net. I see this as an investment to our national security. It gives many families hope and keeps them fighting in the everyday struggle. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between nutrition and cognitive achievement. Imagine that, just one meal can be the difference between educational excellence and educational failure; this is a subject we cannot overview. To ensure that our nation is a strong workforce competitor in the global arena we must not ignore this problem, in order to maintain our position as a global power for the next decades, we must be certain that our children and families are well fed.
The largest USDA federal program is SNAP, which targets hunger in USA and must be maintain. SNAP is not the only program that assists our great nation. There have and are many approaches, programs, and organizations that have addressed the issue of child hunger and nutrition. Just to mention a few we have the National School Lunches Program, which provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each day. We have the Double-Up Food Bucks, which matches the amount of money in participating farmer's market when the SNAP Bridge Card is used. The Student Breakfast Program makes it possible for school children in the United States to receive free breakfast every day. These resources are significantly important and must be preserved.
If we can change the narrative of the debate from entitlement to investment, and at the same time keep food security in the larger national security conversation, we can help change attitudes from both sides of the aisle and assure that a comprehensive FARM bill passes when congress returns from recess.
We must not forget the reason we became the great nation that we are. We took the tired and gave them rest. We took the poor and gave them work. We took the huddled masses yearning to breathe free and gave them freedom. In the same way we must take the hungry and give them the nourishment that they so rightly deserve.
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