Food Stamps Cut: Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) Calls Out GOP Over Cuts with Steak and Vodka (VIDEO)
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) used her time on the House floor to call out Republicans for voting to cut the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program by citing their personal food allowances as members of Congress.
"In my district, California 14, we have about 4,000 families who are on food stamps, but some of my colleagues have thousands and thousands more," Speier began her speech from the House floor. "Yet they somehow feel like crusaders, like heroes, when they vote to cut food stamps. Some of these same members travel to foreign countries under the guise of official business."
The Congresswoman then held up a plate of steak, a jar of caviar and a bottle of vodka to call out the GOP members who lambast SNAP recipients while dining out on the taxpayer dime at the same time.
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"They dine at lavish restaurants, eating steak, vodka and even caviar. They receive money to do this. That's right. They don't pay out-of-pocket for these meals."
Speier, without naming any of her colleagues, repeated examples of some members using taxpayer money to finance food and lodging.
"He probably drank a fair amount of vodka and probably even had some caviar," she said of one congressman's $4,000 food budget on a trip to Russia.
Citing another example, 20 members of Congress went to Ireland and received $166 a day for food each.
"They received almost $200 for a single meal only for themselves. Yet, for them the idea of helping fellow Americans spend less than $5 a day makes their skin crawl. The families of veterans, of farmers, of the disabled, of the working poor are not visible to them, not even when they are their own constituents."
Public records showed that the some of the congressmen include Rep. Steve King (R-IA) and Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK).
Lucas received $127.41 per day for a November trip to Buenos Aires, according to disclosure forms filed with the Clerk of the House. According to the Des Moines Register, King received $3,588 for lodging and meals during a 6-day trip to Russia this year.
"The majority is again catering to the extremes of their party, pushing messaging bills to nowhere. It's time to get serious. If they will just get out of our way, the House and Senate Agriculture Committees can work together and provide farmers, ranchers and consumers the certainty of a five-year farm bill."
