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Opening Statements

Opening Statement: Republican Leader Doug LaMalfa Conservation & Forestry Subcommittee Hearing: "The 2021 Wildland Fire Year: Responding to and Mitigating Threats to Communities"

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Remarks as prepared for delivery: Welcome, Chief Moore, and thank you for being here today. Like so many others who live in the West or near forests, this is an extremely important and personal issue to me and those that I represent. I want to begin by recognizing our firefighters on the ground who risk their lives every day to confront these disasters head-on. To our firefighters, I say thank you...

Opening Statement: Republican Leader Glenn "GT" Thompson Full Committee Hearing: “Voluntary Carbon Markets in Agriculture and Forestry”

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Remarks as prepared for delivery: Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding today's hearing to review carbon markets. In July, I requested this hearing, along with legislative hearings on several proposed climate bills within our jurisdiction. Unfortunately, it seems many Members and stakeholders feel rushed to move legislation on carbon markets without Congress thoroughly vetting the issue. Honestly, I...

Opening Statement: Republican Leader Glenn "GT" Thompson Full Committee Business Meeting: "To consider H. Res. 271, Recognizing the importance of the blueberry industry to the United States and supporting the designation of July 2021 as National Blueberry Month, and H.R. 2424, the Agricultural Fairs Rescue Act”

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Remarks as prepared for delivery: I would be remiss, Mr. Chairman, if I did not express my continued disappointment in the reconciliation process, which continues to tarnish this Committee’s reputation of bipartisanship and decorum. I am also frustrated, and frankly surprised, we are here today to mark up a bill and a resolution that have nothing to do with the missing $28 billion you referenced l...

Opening Statement: Republican Leader Glenn "GT" Thompson Full Committee Business Meeting: "To consider a proposal to satisfy the Committee’s reconciliation instructions required by S. Con. Res. 14"

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Remarks as prepared for delivery: It is with solemn regret I find myself before another partisan, unvetted, secretive process like the one conducted by this Committee in February. Mr. Chairman, I took you at your word when you committed to strengthen this Committee’s reputation and return to our storied history of bipartisanship. I believed we had changed course when, through your leadership, we w...

Opening Statement: Republican Leader Glenn 'GT' Thompson Full Committee Hearing: 21st Century Food Systems: Controlled Environment Agriculture’s Role in Protecting Domestic Food Supply Chains and Infrastructure

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Good morning and thank you to our witnesses for making the time to be with us today. I am eager to learn more about your contributions to this sector of our agriculture industry. As I’ve said before, I hope our committee will move to holding hearings that explore the issues facing production agriculture, provide opportunities for oversight of the 2018 Farm Bill, and receive updates from officials ...

Opening Statement: Republican Leader Dusty Johnson Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee Hearing: State of the Beef Supply Chain: Shocks, Recovery, and Rebuilding

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Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and I will start with two notes of gratitude. The first is to you. When Congress focuses in a bipartisan way on issues, good things happen. This panel, these witnesses, this is going to be a good thing. Thank you. And then I also just want to note my gratitude to other members of this Subcommittee. I mean, when I think about the number of conversations—earnest co...

Opening Statement: Republican Leader Glenn 'GT' Thompson Full Committee Business Meeting: To Consider H.R. 267, 2020 WHIP+ Reauthorization Act

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Remark as prepared delivery: Chairman Scott, thank you for your leadership on this issue and for working with me in a bipartisan fashion to ensure that the authorizing committee has a say when it comes to disaster assistance for our producers. This extension of the Wildfire Hurricane Indemnity Program disaster program for 2020 and 2021 losses is crucial. With fires raging out West, drought grippin...

Opening Statement: Republican Leader Doug LaMalfa Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee Hearing: The U.S. Wood Products Industry: Facilitating the Post COVID-19 Recovery

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Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning, everyone. Chair Spanberger, thank you for convening today’s hearing. From furniture to baseball bats, and paper to lumber, our forests provide countless products and essential feedstocks for many American industries. Collectively, forest-related businesses support over one million direct jobs and 2.9 million indirect jobs nationwide, generating appro...

Opening Statement: Republican Leader Glenn 'GT' Thompson Full Committee Business Meeting: To Consider H.R. 4374, The Broadband Internet Connections for Rural America Act

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Remarks as prepared for delivery: First, I want to thank you for listening to the concerns of our Members by bringing forward the updated amendment that reflects the changes that Representative Bustos planned to offer today. The new amendment removes the language that sets aside funding for specific states and by doing that we are putting all rural communities that are in desperate need of reliabl...

Opening Statement: Republican Leader Don Bacon Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations Subcommittee Hearing: Examining the SNAP Benefit Cliff

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Remarks as prepared for delivery: Thank you, Chair Hayes. And many thanks to our panel of witnesses before us today. I appreciate this hearing; I think we can all agree there are merits to the issue, and even though we may diverge on solutions, it is important we hear one another out and understand there is actually no one way to mitigate every penalty and disincentive associated with our safety n...