Rep. Stansbury is a natural for the House Hunger Caucus. Before her election to the US House, she worked tirelessly as a state representative to coordinate a new approach in New Mexico to address hunger in our state. She promoted an omnibus bill that would bring together all the elements needed to address hunger in New Mexico. This created the blueprint for anti-hunger efforts going forward.
And one of her first actions after her swearing-in ceremony to the US House was to speak out in favor of making the Child Tax Credit permanent.
What is the Hunger Caucus?
A caucus by definition is comprised of a group of members of Congress that meets to pursue common legislative objectives. According to the Congressional Research Service, caucuses are formed as congressional member organizations (CMOs) both in the House and the Senate. The legislative bodies are governed under the rules of the two chambers.
Unlike formal committees, caucuses do not have authority to craft legislation. They primarily intend to provide a forum for members to demonstrate their willingness to work together on a particular issue such as addressing hunger in the United States. While highly symbolic, they also contribute to the national conversation. For example, in December of 2020, House Hunger Caucus co-chair Rep. Jim McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts, urged then President-elect Joe Biden to to appoint a “hunger czar” to develop, coordinate, and implement a national strategy to reduce food insecurity in America.
"I have long maintained that hunger is a political condition, and the choices our leaders make have a profound and direct impact on whether or not Americans families will live in fear of not knowing where their next meal will come from. Ending hunger is not only a moral obligation; there is also a tremendous cost to our country for our indifference," McGovern said in a letter to Biden.
Caucus Co-Chair Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., has also spoken in favor of policies to address hunger in our country. “Access to plentiful, nutritious food plays a key role in health and wellness and can help families and communities build stronger futures," Walorski said during a commemoration of World Food Day in 2020. “I’m honored to support the designation of a World Food Day and renew my commitment to addressing hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition in the U.S. and across the globe. As co-chair of the bipartisan House Hunger Caucus, I’ll continue working to make nutrition a priority in Congress.”
Here are other quotes from legislators, including some members of the Hunger Caucus, on World Food Day 2020
To be sure, the House Hunger Caucus aims to be a bipartisan body. Here is the current listing, courtesy of Rep. McGovern's office. The listing does not include party affiliation, but a few of these legislators are members of the Republican Party.
Kind, Ron |
WI-03 |
|
Lawrence, Brenda L. |
MI-14 |
|
Courtney, Joe |
CT-02 |
|
Pallone, Frank |
NJ-06 |
|
Matsui, Doris |
CA-06 |
|
Lofgren, Zoe |
CA-19 |
|
Costa, Jim |
CA-16 |
|
Norton, Eleanor Holmes |
DC |
|
Carson, Andre |
IN-07 |
|
DeLauro, Rosa |
CT-03 |
|
Doyle, Mike |
PA-14 |
|
Lee, Barbara |
CA-13 |
|
Aguilar, Pete |
CA-31 |
|
Smith, Adam |
WA-09 |
|
Cleaver II, Emanuel |
MO-05 |
|
Carbajal, Salud |
CA-24 |
|
Deutch, Ted |
FL-22 |
|
Kildee, Dan |
MI-05 |
|
Huffman, Jared |
CA-02 |
|
Adams, Alma |
NC-12 |
|
Larsen, Rick |
WA-02 |
|
Pingree, Chellie |
ME-01 |
|
Maloney, Carolyn |
NY-12 |
|
Lujan, Ben Ray |
NM - SENATE |
|
Connolly, Gerald |
VA-11 |
|
Raskin, Jamie |
MD-08 |
|
Ryan, Tim |
OH-13 |
|
Jackson-Lee, Sheila |
TX-18 |
|
Welch, Peter |
VT At-Large |
|
Green, AL |
TX-09 |
|
Speier, Jackie |
CA-14 |
|
Maloney, Patrick |
NY-18 |
|
Larson, John |
CT-01 |
|
Lynch, Stephen |
MA-08 |
|
Bishop, Sanford |
GA-02 |
|
Lowenthal, Alan |
CA-47 |
|
Scott, Robert "Bobby" |
VA-03 |
|
McCollum, Betty |
MN-04 |
|
Neal, Richard |
MA-01 |
|
Bonamici, Suzanne |
OR-01 |
|
DeFazio, Peter |
OR-04 |
|
Doggett, Lloyd |
TX-35 |
|
McGovern, James P. |
MA-02 |
|
Sablan, Gregorio Kilili Camacho |
MP |
|
Delbene, Suzanne |
WA-01 |
|
Clark, Katherine |
MA-05 |
|
Johnson, Eddie Bernice |
TX-30 |
|
Kuster, Ann McLane |
NH-02 |
|
Takano, Mark |
CA-41 |
|
Frankel, Lois |
FL-21 |
|
Schiff, Adam |
CA-28 |
|
Kaptur, Marcy |
OH-09 |
|
Price, David |
NC-04 |
|
Schakowsky, Jan |
IL-09 |
|
Spanberger, Abigail |
VA-07 |
|
NODO |
|
|
Panetta, Jimmy |
CA-20 |
|
Lawson, Al |
FL-05 |
|
Dingell, Debbie |
MI-12 |
|
Kelly, Mike |
PA-16 |
|
Moolenaar, John |
MI-04 |
|
Walberg, Tim |
MI-07 |
|
Griffith, Morgan |
VA-09 |
|
Upton, Fred |
MI-06 |
|
Thompson, Glenn "GT" |
PA-15 |
|
Granger, Kay |
TX-12 |
|
Walorski, Jackie |
IN-02 |
|
Omar, Ilhan |
MN-05 |
|
Mann, Tracey |
KS-01 |
|
Stansbury, Melanie |
NM-01 |
What About the Senate Hunger Caucus?
Unlike the House, Senate groups receive neither official recognition nor funding from the chamber. But a Senate Hunger Caucus does exist, and co-chairs include high-profile senators: John Boozman (R-AR), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Roger Marshall (R-KS). "Living in the breadbasket of our nation, it can be difficult to comprehend the prevalence of hunger around the world. Yet hunger is real, and it threatens the future of millions of people every day," Sen. Jerry Moran (previously a co-chair of the caucus) said in his website.
In addition to the co-chairs, the Senate Hunger Caucus is comprised of nine other senators. See listing.
Among recent actions, the caucus led a food drive in Congress in 2019. In November 2020, Sen. Moran and a handful of his colleagues introduced a resolution to honor the World Food Program for receiving a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.
Sen. Ben Ray Lujan does not participate in the Senate Hunger Caucus (at least not yet), but he remains as an honorary member of the House Hunger Caucus. We'll contact the staffs of Sen. Lujan and Heinrich to get in their insights on the Senate Hunger Caucus.
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