Issue of Hunger and Poverty Missing from First Presidential Debate

"Last night, Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump met in the first presidential debate of the general election. Like millions of other Americans, I watched the candidates debate a number of issues, but there was one glaring omission — the 42.2 million men, women, and children who struggle with hunger in America each year.

 Lester Holt started the debate with a question about economic inequality and the bottom 50 percent of the income distribution. He also focused the second segment on the racial divide in America. But nobody -- not Hillary Clinton, not Donald Trump, not Lester Holt -- mentioned hunger or poverty. Yet one in five U.S. children struggles with hunger, and 43 million Americans live below the poverty line.
 
"Don't let our political leaders ignore hunger and poverty. Hunger is not a partisan issue. Its harmful impact is not up for debate. And yet the presidential candidates were silent in a serious policy discussion on a critical issue facing one in every eight Americans.

Time is running out. We know that ending hunger by 2030 is possible. But if we are to stay on track toward that goal, we cannot afford to let the voices of the most vulnerable be lost in the din of this season's campaign coverage. We need both Democrats and Republicans speaking out and acting on these critical issues now."

-David Beckmann
President
Bread for the World

(Read full statement from Beckmann and Bread for the World)