House Passes Cohen's Amendment to Help Prevent Kids from Going Hungry

[WASHINGTON, DC] – The U.S. House of Representatives today passed on a voice vote Congressman Steve Cohen’s (TN-09) amendment to the Agriculture appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2015 that will help prevent children around the country from going hungry during the summer when free school lunch programs are not in effect. The amendment adds $3 million in funding to the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children program, which is a pilot program focused on helping provide meals to low income children during summer months when school lunch programs are not in effect. Video of the Congressman introducing his amendment prior to House passage is available here.

“For many young people in Memphis and around the nation, one of their most exciting days is the last day of school before it lets out for the summer,” said Congressman Cohen. “But for others—for less fortunate children in our country—school letting out has a more negative consequence: hunger. More than 16 million children in America, or one in 5 of all children in the wealthiest nation in the world, are at risk of going hungry. That isn’t right. The wealthiest nation in the world should not send its children to bed hungry. I’m pleased that the House passed my amendment which cuts through partisan gridlock to help prevent hunger and make sure that children in Memphis and throughout the United States get the nutritious meals they need to live happy and healthy lives.”

Congressman Cohen, who last week joined the Summer Food Kickoff at Emerald Square in Memphis to support summer food programs, introduced his amendment to ensure that the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children program’s receives the funding requested by President Barack Obama in his Fiscal Year 2015 budget proposal.

In 2010, Congress created the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children program, which provided the families of nearly 67,000 children who might have otherwise gone hungry an additional $60 per child during the summer months of 2012. According to USDA, participation in the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children program was dramatically higher than other summer food programs – up to 75 percent of eligible students participated in some communities. More importantly, participants experienced large and significant reductions in the prevalence of food insecurity: the additional resources provided through this program were enough to keep one third of participating households with children from experiencing very low food security.