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 »
The Republican leaders of the agriculture committees in Congress are highlighting a new study that confirms Democrats' proposed changes to taxes on inherited property will have a devastating impact on the next generation of family farmers and ranchers. Representative Glenn 'GT' Thompson, Ranking Member, House Committee on Agriculture, and Senator John Boozman, Ranking Member, Senate Committee on A... Read more »
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Army announced the intent to establish a new definition of "Waters of the United States," or WOTUS. Following the announcement, Republican Leader of the House Agriculture Committee, Glenn 'GT' Thompson, issued the following statement: "President Trump’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule provided long-overdue certainty and clarity for ... Read more »
Washington, DC—Recently, the House Agriculture Committee introduced the Broadband for Rural America Act, a blueprint for a better-connected America. The bill has garnered widespread support from Members of Congress as well as industry leaders. Zippy Duvall, President of American Farm Bureau Federation “We must continue to expand access to broadband in rural America until we have fully bridged the... Read more »
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) announced its intention to require swine processing facilities operating under the New Swine Inspection System to reduce production line speeds in accordance with a recent court ruling that struck down a regulatory provision allowing those facilities to operate at faster speeds. Following the announcement,... 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 »
Today, House Agriculture Republicans introduced the Broadband For Rural America Act, one of several infrastructure proposals from House Republicans that bridge the digital divide for communities nationwide. The proposal from House Agriculture Republicans provides more than $7 billion in authorizations for USDA broadband connectivity programs. Following the introduction of the bill, Republican Lead... Read more »
Throughout my tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives, rural broadband has always been a critical need not only for my district, but nationwide in homes across rural America. The urgency has been amplified over the past year thanks to a generational pandemic which has negatively impacted our children’s physical, mental, and social wellbeing and complicated work-from-home situations as schools ... Read more »
