Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning, and thank you Chair Plaskett for calling this hearing today. I am excited for our Subcommittee to come together for the first official hearing for this Congress. Chair Plaskett – I look forward to developing a fruitful relationship with you as we serve this Subcommittee and the very important role that its jurisdiction – especially biotechnology, res... Read more »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: Chairwoman Bustos, thank you for holding this hearing to evaluate the importance of the farm safety net. After the experiences of the last several years in the Southeast, this hearing is vital now more than ever as we enter hurricane season and the threat it poses to farmers as well as countless other risks our producers across the country face. Not only has the p... Read more »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning, and thank you, Chairman Scott, for holding this hearing today. Before I begin, a point of personal privilege if I may. While I certainly appreciate today’s hearing and topic, I again want to make clear that I hope this Committee can turn its attention to the needs of production agriculture, including hearing the testimony of Secretary Vilsack. The ne... Read more »
Remarks as prepared for the record: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to start by thanking you for calling this markup and allowing the Committee to proceed with our business through regular order. I think it is so important for our members to be able to work on bipartisan legislation and protecting this critical program is an opportunity for us to come together and fulfill our responsibilities. I k... Read more »
Remark as prepared for delivery: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and hello to my colleagues and welcome to our witnesses. It is nice to be here for the first meeting of our Subcommittee this Congress. Like many of you, I represent an extremely rural district. We are among the top ag-producing districts in the nation and are responsible for nearly half of Minnesota’s agricultural sales. My district plays ... Read more »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good afternoon, and welcome to our witnesses. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge, experiences, and advice on how to best move forward in our mission to ensure those in need have access to SNAP. Based on the title of this hearing, I am hopeful we can use today to discuss not only the Department’s emergency response to COVID-19, but where improvem... Read more »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: I’d like to start by thanking our fellow Committee members for joining us today. And my gratitude to those who are not members of this Committee but who have made agriculture a priority by joining us today. Mr. Chairman, I would be remiss if I did not take this time to also reflect on the Committee’s work in the months ahead. The only legislation to advance throug... Read more »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: The 2018 Farm Bill offered important environmental and resource benefits through USDA’s suite of voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs. The conservation title provides an estimated $6 billion per year to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners for the implementation of practices that truly work. Through these voluntary programs, producers can improve s... Read more »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: Before jumping into today’s hearing, I would like to take a moment to welcome Congresswoman Julia Letlow of Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District. We are honored to have your perspective moving forward on rural America’s most pressing issues, one of which, of course, is broadband connectivity. For years, the digital divide has left many Americans unable to access... Read more »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning, and thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding today’s hearing on such an important issue—an issue that I know is not only near and dear to your heart, but an issue of importance that each and every one of us participating today, including those tuning in to our live stream, can learn something from. Today’s hearing to review the state of Black farmers in... Read more »
