Washington, D.C. - Today, the House Committee on Agriculture approved H.R. 897, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2015. This legislation (H.R. 872 in the 112th Congress and H.R. 935 in the 113th) would clarify Congressional intent regarding pesticide regulation in or near waters of the United States. A 2009 decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit erroneously applied the pr... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. K. Michael Conaway, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, held a public hearing to review the importance of trade to U.S. agriculture. In 2014, U.S. agricultural exports reached a record-setting $152.5 billion, an increase of 58% over the last five years. Members and the witnesses emphasized that with 95 percent of the world’s population residing outside of... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - At a hearing this morning of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Under Secretary for Agriculture Kevin Concannon indicated that the Department would grant a short-term 30 day comment period extension for the report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. “The 571 page report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee not only went way out of scope in de... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee, held a public hearing to review the definition of “waters of the United States” proposed rule and its impact on rural America. Enacted in 1972, the Clean Water Act (CWA) established a federal-state government partnership to better regulate and manage the nation’... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Chairman of the Agriculture Committee K. Michael Conaway (TX-11), Nutrition Subcommittee Chairwoman Jackie Walorski (IN-2), and Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman David Rouzer (NC-7) sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell raising concerns about recommendations received from the Dietary... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Jackie Walorski (IN-2), Chairwoman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Nutrition, held a public hearing to review the characteristics and dynamics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. The committee will conduct a full-scale review this Congress in order to improve and strengthen the program for its intended recipients. This... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today the House Committee on Agriculture began a full-scale review of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Committee heard from University of Maryland welfare scholar Doug Besharov on the past, present, and future of the nation's largest program in the domestic hunger safety net. "SNAP has grown from a relatively small pilot program to the second largest fed... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, the House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing to review the futures, options, and swaps markets that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) oversees. Chairman K. Michael Conaway urged CFTC Chairman Timothy Massad to make sure the agency’s rules both protect end-users and ensure well-functioning financial markets. Today’s hearing examined new regulations in th... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today the House Committee on Agriculture sent its Budgets Views and Estimates Letter for Fiscal Year 2016 to the House Budget Committee. In the letter, Committee members urged Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price to take into account that the with the Farm Bill the Agriculture Committee made a significant contribution to deficit reduction with the passage of the Farm Bill, which ... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. K. Michael Conaway, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, held a hearing to review the state of the rural economy. The hearing comes just days after the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the 2014 Farm Bill. Implementation of the law was the main topic of discussion as members of the committee asked Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, about progres... Read more »
