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Opening Statements

Opening Statement: Chairman K. Michael Conaway: Rural Economic Outlook: Setting the Stage for the Next Farm Bill

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Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning. We ordinarily kick things off every year with the Secretary of Agriculture offering testimony as our one and only witness. However, our new Secretary has not yet been confirmed. I have visited with Governor Perdue a number of times now, I believe he is an excellent choice, and I hope that he can be confirmed in short order so that he may begin the im...

Opening Statement: Chairman K. Michael Conaway Committee on Agriculture Organizational Meeting

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Remarks as prepared for delivery: I am thankful for the opportunity to serve another term as chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture during the 115th Congress. I, along with many of you on this Committee, represent rural America. We are their voice, and I consider that a privilege and great responsibility. Although we come from different areas of the country, we all understand the importanc...

Opening Statement: Chairman K. Michael Conaway Committee on Agriculture Hearing: 1890 Land-Grant Institutions: Recruitment Challenges and Scholarship Opportunities

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Remarks as prepared: Good morning. Today we will discuss one of the Committee’s longest standing areas of jurisdiction—agricultural research universities. More specifically, we will hear from our “1890s” institutions—the land grant colleges and universities for African-American students established pursuant to the Second Morrill Act of 1890 (pronounced moral). Last July, we held a hearing to celeb...

Opening Statement: Chairman K. Michael Conaway Committee on Agriculture Hearing: Past, Present, and Future of SNAP Opportunities for Improving Access to Food

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Tags: SNAP

Remarks as prepared for delivery: Over the course of the 114th Congress, we have heard from 55 witnesses at 15 different hearings in our series on the Past, Present and Future of SNAP. We have heard from witnesses discussing their experiences as SNAP recipients, from state agencies implementing SNAP across the country, from charitable partners that work with SNAP recipients, from innovative organi...

Opening Statement: Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee Hearing: Rehabilitation of the Chesapeake Bay: Healing in the Bay the Voluntary Way

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Remarks as prepared: Good morning, and welcome to today’s hearing. Over the course of the 114th Congress, the Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee has held a series of hearings to highlight the success of voluntary conservation by our nation’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters. Today’s discussion, “Healing the Bay the Voluntary Way”, takes a more focused approach to this discussion. The Chesapeak...

Opening Statement: Chairman K. Michael Conaway: Committee on Agriculture Hearing: American Agricultural Trade with Cuba

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Remarks as prepared for delivery: The United States has a long and complicated relationship with our neighbor to the south. While our close proximity to Cuba makes the island nation a natural trading partner, the stranglehold the Castro regime has had on Cuba has long prevented normalized relations between our two countries. That stranglehold resulted in the United States imposing an embargo on tr...

Opening Statement: Chairman K. Michael Conaway: Committee on Agriculture Business Meeting: To consider H.R. 470, H.R. 845, and H.R. 5883

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Remarks as prepared for delivery: Thank you all for being here today as we consider three straightforward bills. H.R. 470, the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest Land Adjustment Act, transfers Forest Service lands in Northeast Georgia. The transfer will help boost the area’s economy through improving recreational activities on the land. H.R. 5883 amends the Packers and Stockyards Act which was e...

Opening Statement: Chairwoman Walorski Nutrition Subcommittee Hearing: Improving Innovation and Success in Employment and Training Programs

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Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning and welcome to today’s Nutrition Subcommittee hearing. Thank you to everyone for being here and thank you, in particular, to our witnesses for your participation and valuable insights. We are continuing the series of hearings looking at the past, present, and future of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, by examining employment and...

Opening Statement: Chairman K. Michael Conaway: Committee on Agriculture Hearing: Examining the CFTC’s Proposed Rule: Regulation Automated Trading

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Remarks as prepared: Good Morning, and welcome to the Committee’s hearing on Regulation Automated Trading. Over the past three decades, our financial markets have been quietly revolutionized by computers. Sometimes called the “electronification” of markets, computer networks have slowly replaced the traditional trading pits. Electronic markets allow computers to seamlessly input orders, giving ris...

Opening Statement: Chairman K. Michael Conaway Committee on Agriculture Hearing: Agriculture & National Security: On-the-Ground Experiences of Former Military Leaders

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Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning, and welcome to today’s hearing. This week we celebrated America’s 240th birthday. As we reflect on the freedoms we enjoy at home, it’s important that we understand the role our military leaders—along with our farmers and ranchers—play in ensuring that we are safe and well fed. Two of the pillars of our country’s national security have long been a str...