mr. jeffries. mr. ffries: thank you for yielding and thank you for the tremendous leadership that you have shown on this issue and for anchoring the c.b.c. special order this hour of power where for 60 minutes, members of the congressional black caucus consistently every monday that we are in session have the opportunity to take to the floor of the house of representatives and speak directly to the american people about an issue of great significance affecting their quality of life. and today, we are tackling an extremely important issue in a country that is the wealthiest nation in the world, the issue of hunger. and for the life of me, i haven't been able to figure out why in this country with all of this wealth, i come from the city of new york, where wall street is the engine that drives the world's economy but in the shadoogs of wall street, you have children and seniors going to bed hungry and waking up the next day without any hope as to how they will be able to satisfy their nutritional needs. a

mr. jeffries, two minutes. the chair: the gentleman from new york is recognized for two minutes. mr. jeffries: i thank the distinguished ranking member for his leadership. this bill represents an unjustified corporate giveaway, being built on the backs of hardworking individuals from all across this country who in many cases were unwittingly victimized by asbestos exposure. it is an unwarranted, unnecessary, unconscionable effort to betch -- to benefit big business and the asbestos industrial complex. which in many instances has unleashed mesothelioma, lung cancer and other diseases of mass destruction on americans all across this country. who are hardworking and in most instances simply trying to make a living for themselves and for their families. now, it's being done allegedly to create greater transparency and in the name of litigation reform. yet the record reflects that there is no evidence of systemic sift maticvidence of waste or abuse, no evidence of stt attic overpayment to victims -- systematic overpayment to victims of asbestos exposure. this is wrong, it's shameful, it's