Starting next week, the Rules Committee will begin holding hearings examining ways to combat the hunger crisis. We’ll hear from experts, find solutions, and push for action.
It is my hope we will develop ideas that Congress and the Biden administration can act on to ensure we are tackling this problem, because this is truly an all-hands-on-deck moment.
I know the best solutions don’t necessarily come from inside the walls of Congress. Countless people across the country have dedicated their lives to this cause. Many local communities, nonprofits, and organizations have found solutions that could work nationwide if brought to scale. And many people have experiences confronting hunger that decision-makers need to hear.
That’s why I’m encouraging you to share your story here.
Whether you’re an educator with exciting new research, an organization with an innovative concept, or a family on the front lines, your voice deserves to be heard. And it will help guide us in this effort.
As Chairman, I hope to hear from people all over the country. But as your Congressman, I especially want to hear from you.
The hunger crisis hits close to home. Massachusetts has experienced the largest relative increase of food-insecure individuals in the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic and the highest increase of food-insecure children at 102%, according to analysis by Feeding America.
Make no mistake: COVID-19 has worsened the hunger crisis, but it didn’t cause it. 35 million Americans were dealing with food insecurity before this health emergency hit. More than 10 million children already lived in households facing food insecurity. And no community was immune, from densely populated cities to the most rural areas of our country.
This crisis wasn’t created overnight, and it won’t be solved that way, either. But I believe public service is about thinking big and tacking big problems. Together, I believe we can finally end hunger now.
Sincerely,
