The proceedings of a House hearing on poverty, hunger, and the welfare system are provided in this document. The hearings focus the Federal agenda for addressing these problems: the increasing number of people, particularly children, living in poverty and consequently threatened by hunger; increasing numbers of families headed by women alone living in poverty; and the inability of people in poverty to access the labor market. Speakers and presenters of prepared statements include legislators, academics, and representatives of concerned organizations. Among the major prepared statements are the following essays and papers: "Is Welfare Really the Problem?" by David T. Ellwood and Lawrence H. Summers; "Losing Faith in 'Losing Ground,'" by Robert Greenstein, who critiques the conservative challenge to the welfare system; a Census Bureau research study, "Changing Family Composition and Income Differentials," by Gordon Green and Edward Welniak; and "On Social Invention: Some Reflections on the Relationship between Family and Poverty," by Michael Novak. (KH)