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Food Stamps Stymie Agriculture Bill
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Chris Stirewalt and Rep. Scott Tipton discuss food stamps controversy in congress.
- Duration 9:03
- Date Jun 19, 2012
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And those are food stamps or what used to be food stamps and are now -- -- little debit card looking things that people who.
Receive nutritional assistance nutritional subsidy from the Department of Agriculture.
-- used by their groceries and sundry items.
And this is power play welcome back in those food stamps.
In fact are the things that are complicating very much a big agriculture spending bill that is bogged down in the US senate.
We're going to talk about that.
-- Congressman Scott Tipton who happens to sit on the agriculture committee in the United States House of Representatives he's a Republican.
From Colorado with a whole lot of farmers in his district congressman welcome.
Chris pleasure to be with you.
Okay so you guys who actually before we get to this I'd -- -- I'd like getting -- rebuttal from you we heard you from your democratic colleague Paul -- from New York just a moment ago about what happens if the Supreme Court.
Takes out the mandatory insurance provision of president Obama's -- -- -- health care law he says.
Go ahead and then we'll figure out a way to put to get that trillion dollars yourself.
From someplace else instead of the mandatory purchase of insurance that instead.
You -- taxes -- some or some other different thing to get to a government plan.
Would you say.
You know the bottom line is it Supreme Court rules that the individual mandate is not constitutional.
I think president's health care plan falls under its own way they don't have the funding mechanism.
If that happens then we can actually address what I think concerns most Americans.
That is affordability and accessibility I'd I'd invite all of our Democrat colleagues to support this.
Coming up to my district Cox senior citizens -- are no longer able to be able to access health care because doctors are not accepting Medicaid.
Medicare cutting through.
Go out and talk to any individuals who are paying for the health insurance they are seeing it deep -- -- seeing it increase.
Let's go ahead and create those opportunities for the free markets to be able to work be able to -- across state lines.
Let's have actual tort reform that this administration and his supporters in congress.
Simply did not want to be able to address.
Let's be able to have people have that real relationship between the doctor -- parent patient.
And let them make those choices in regards to type of health insurance that they like to have.
Let's stand up for senior citizens something I'm fully committed to.
But pulling back 575.
Billion dollars that they took out of Medicare to be able to find the president's health care plan.
And let's not have bureaucrats in Washington DC making health care choices for senior citizens.
And -- he knows a lot more than just agriculture can see that Internet he just jumped right on that -- no problem there okay congressman.
Now the question is so we're spending right now and have been since 2009.
Something in the neighborhood of about 82 billion dollars a year.
On food stamps now.
Those death rate spike.
-- with the Obama stimulus in 2009.
And has stayed high with persistent unemployment -- those things now.
The house passed the measure that would pretty substantially Alter the way that food stamps work now that -- the senate and Democrats who booted.
But now Republicans are rallying and trying to get.
A version of what you guys did amended onto their bill tell us how it works first.
You know the bottom line is we have fifty point eight trillion dollar debt in this nation.
We have to be able to reduce when we look at the budget for the house agricultural committee.
Root for the Department of Agriculture.
We see a hundred billion dollars eighty billion of those dollars -- going food stamps.
Is it appropriate.
To be able to have college students people who have just won the lottery.
Be able to go down and use food stamps there isn't -- person in this country wants anyone to not have enough -- to be able the last.
But we have a lot of abuses in this program that we can certainly trim and correct.
And this has to be part of the economic solution to this country.
And of course we should point out that the year before in fiscal year 2008.
It wasn't 82 -- it was forty million so it doubled since then and had been on and increasing plane.
Really going back to about 2000.
Is it possible though in an election year.
To convince people that.
Being seen here with food stamps is not sort of it sounds but we're certainly could -- -- -- campaign -- like I've -- -- position.
You know and I think that that's something we'll see Washington move beyond every time we start talking about.
Trimming anywhere in government there's demonization.
You -- -- in my district I have people who are not receiving food stamps.
They're having a tough time being able to to be able to provide for their families.
We can provide the necessary -- that folks are going to be able to need if they're having hard times.
But we can also create efficiencies in government you know when we -- -- 2002.
To present.
We've seen two point six times percent increase in food -- spending that's not a percentage.
Two point six times and the increase in spending on food stamps we need to be able to create those efficiencies and really the best thing we can do is actually get people back to work.
So that they don't need those food stamps and I just put in some legislation.
It's helped plan for America's energy future -- 2012.
To be able -- responsibly and and all of the about fashion creating jobs in America on American soil being able to create energy which can lower energy costs here as well.
To be able to help struggling families so this is all part of the package and processing.
Bottom line we get America back to work we'll have less people that are actually going to need to rely on these programs and that is the best solution.
What is the -- paychecks not food stamps.
Okay congressman I I have to ask you so today the intrigue gripping.
Things over there in your office building has to do with -- and win Eric Holder or will Eric Holder the attorney general of the United States -- with the heads of the Republican the Republican.
Head of the house government affairs and oversight committee derisive from California your colleague.
And senator Chuck Grassley the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Talk about fast and furious they're trying to avoid.
Holders trying to avoid a vote.
Which could take place as soon as tomorrow.
Holding him in contempt.
Are what are you hearing and what you expect to see.
You know I think I would like certainly see.
Mr.
holder.
Pay as much attention put as much energy and to just be delivering what's been asked for by German ice in the oversight committee.
To be able to address these concerns.
You know we had an American was killed from a bad program.
It is totally within -- province and oversight committee to be able to make these requests and I think.
If he fails to respond it's my impression that.
German -- and others would move forward with contempt -- tired of the bottom we've just give us the answers.
And this is -- they're congressman is talking about -- a fast and furious which was a gun running stand that went terribly arrived dumped thousands.
Of guns perhaps into the hands of Mexican drug cartels and one of those guns has been linked to the murder.
Of the US Border Patrol agent congressman we are so grateful that you make time for us today and I hope you get that got here very beautiful -- sometimes it.
Chris will be back there this week here -- all right right count us jealous okay congressman Jackson had a great -- And what do you say Internet.
You say Smart stuff you say some stuff I can't today on.
Internet television but Chris.
And if I -- -- -- if there's a French pronunciation there the very sorry.
But if you really want the cost of health -- -- come down allow interstate competition between providers.
Just as was done in banking and that is true that's an argument that conservatives make a lot which is that it worked -- that kind of interstate competition.
That allowed for the creation of these mega banks -- said the statement was effective in the same would work for insurance.
And the Rick Miller says I thought the dams.
Opted for universality for you universality -- in that bill shouldn't that mean if that part falls through the whole thing -- And in fact here when you see the -- I should have pointed this out when you see the story that talks about full speed ahead that I wrote about the power play today when you see that at full speed ahead if you're -- liberal member of congress you -- the idea maybe of the Supreme Court striking down the mandatory health insurance provision because then something has to go in to fill that gap and if the Democrats can hold the senate President Obama wins reelection then you could really had either a single Payer system.
Or you could have -- some sort of government run insurance program.
And that's what they wanted from the beginning they've never wanted the mandate so if it -- I doubt Nancy Pelosi will shed very many.
