Rep Jim McGovern raked Agricultural Secretary Brooke Rollins over the coals. He refused to take her lies about the state of the economy and how she kicked out hundreds of thousands of children from the SNAP program because of fraud.
McGovern's first volley was how awful farmers are doing because of Trump's reckless war with Iran and idiotic tariffs that are deemed illegal.
"I wish that you would take the time to talk with farmers in my district who have been totally screwed over by this administration," he said. " They are livid. They are mad. They are pissed off."
He then laid into Rollin's bragging about how she removed millions of people from SNAP, as if it were a badge of honor. Rollins' responses were very weak indeed.
MCGOVERN: Earlier this year, you even bragged about kicking 4.5 million people off nutrition assistance, saying that was, quote, good news. Well, a new report from the Nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that the number includes at least 700,000 children.
Now, I say at least because that is data from less than half the country. That number is going to be in the millions.
Let me say that again. 700,000 kids plus have lost their food assistance.
That is not good news. Hunger is getting worse in this country. And, by the way, the average SNAP benefit is only about $2 per person per meal. You can't even afford to buy your Dunkin' Coffee with the average SNAP benefit right now. So do you stand by your comment that kicking people off of food assistance is somehow good news?
ROLLINS: So, sir, most of those, based on the numbers, were fraudulent. The 700,000 number of children is not correct. That is not a nonpartisan group that gave you that number. And, again, we are back to where we were pre-COVID, and this idea that we should put more and more people on food stamps is just not correct.
MCGOVERN: With all due respect, Madam Secretary, I have talked to many of the people who have lost their benefits. They haven't been moved off of SNAP. They have been kicked off of SNAP. These are people who actually need and rely on this food assistance to provide basic nutrition for their families.
Hunger is getting worse in the United States of America.
We all should be ashamed of that.
Rollins only response was to say the numbers are lying and not non-partisan while the Trump administration is being truthful.
Sure, we believe you. Rollins has still not made public the data they claim they have pertaining to fraud and abuse in SNAP.
Rollins next interlude is truly moronic.
ROLLINS: May I respond? I will be super fast.
What I will say is that wages are at the highest rate they have been in American history. Our unemployment is at the lowest rate.
We have more people working. The result of that is less people on government programs.MCGOVERN: Costs have never been higher.
Costs have never been higher.
Go to a grocery store. People are putting groceries back on the shelf because they can't afford to pay their bill.
Quoting some Scott Bessent numbers justifies an economy that is squeezing the life out of 99% of the country; it will not fly. Bessent's words are not lowering prices for the US consumers, manufacturers, and producers.
