MEDIA CONTACT: Tamara Hinton, 202.225.0184 tamara.hinton@mail.house.gov Good morning. I'd like to thank Chairman Thompson for holding today's hearing to examine conservation programs. During the past two farm bills I served as the chairman and ranking member, respectively, for the subcommittee of jurisdiction for the conservation title. Both the 2008 and 2002 Farm Bills saw exponential growth in c... Read more »
MEDIA CONTACT: Tamara Hinton, 202.225.0184 tamara.hinton@mail.house.gov I'd like to thank Chairman Conaway for holding the first in a series of audit hearings to examine programs authorized in the farm bill. My goal with these hearings is two-fold. First, I want the Department to present a spending snapshot of farm programs. Our Subcommittees will examine spending trends and confirm whether the pu... Read more »
MEDIA CONTACT: Tamara Hinton, 202.225.0184 tamara.hinton@mail.house.gov Good morning. I’d like to thank Secretary Vilsack and Ambassador Kirk and our industry representatives for joining us today to discuss free trade. As we know, there are three pending free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama. Unfortunately it has been nearly four years since these agreements were signed and the adm... Read more »
MEDIA CONTACT: Tamara Hinton, 202.225.0184 tamara.hinton@mail.house.gov Today, we’re moving forward with legislation that is a product of four hearings in this Committee. We’ve heard from agricultural cooperatives, electric utilities, large global banks, small community banks and farm credit banks. We’ve heard from manufacturers, pension plans, mutual funds and a global oil and gas producer. And w... Read more »
MEDIA CONTACT: Tamara Hinton, 202.225.0184 tamara.hinton@mail.house.gov Thank you, Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member Markey for working with Ranking Member Peterson and me on this important topic. Though joint hearings represent a logistical challenge, the interactions and contradictions between the laws and programs under our various jurisdictions suggest that effective oversight will require ... Read more »
MEDIA CONTACT: Tamara Hinton, 202.225.0184 tamara.hinton@mail.house.gov Today, this Committee continues its series of hearings to review the implementation of the derivatives provisions in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. Already, we’ve heard from diverse market participants, from farmer cooperatives to manufacturers to global financial institutions. Rarely does Congress consider an issue th... Read more »
MEDIA CONTACT: Tamara Hinton, 202.225.0184 tamara.hinton@mail.house.gov The Committee meets today to consider the views and estimates that we will communicate to the Budget Committee regarding the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2012. I want to thank Ranking Member Peterson for the help he has provided in this effort. We all know that the fiscal crisis faced by this country is ... Read more »
MEDIA CONTACT: Tamara Hinton, 202.225.0184 tamara.hinton@mail.house.gov Good afternoon. I would like to thank Administrator Jackson for being here today. I know there are quite a few committees in Congress that have invited you to appear before them and I expect your popularity as a witness will not diminish anytime soon. There is a reason the top issue for nearly every member of the Agriculture C... Read more »
MEDIA CONTACT: Tamara Hinton, 202.225.0184 tamara.hinton@mail.house.gov Good morning. We have before us today a critical piece of legislation. It is the result of a bipartisan oversight process that began nearly two years ago and culminated in a rare joint hearing held last month between subcommittees of the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. I am part... Read more »
MEDIA CONTACT: Tamara Hinton, 202.225.0184 tamara.hinton@mail.house.gov This morning’s hearing focuses on the state of the farm economy. With all the bad news out there today, it is nice to have something good to report: the state of the U.S. farm economy is strong. Our nation’s producers are generally experiencing good prices and solid production. USDA is forecasting record high income and export... Read more »
