Opening Statements

House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson (PA-15) delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing: “Safeguarding U.S. Agriculture: The Role of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN)."

Remarks as prepared:

Good morning and thank you to Chairman Mann and Ranking Member Costa for convening this hearing of the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry to talk about the importance of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network.

And more importantly, thank you to our witnesses who have taken time out of your busy schedules to appear before us today— I look forward to hearing from each of you.

In recent months, our producers have been dealing with an unprecedented hi-path outbreak in both poultry and dairy cattle.

They are also closely tracking the New World Screwworm outbreak in Mexico, Foot and Mouth Disease in the European Union, and African Swine Fever in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

The threats of foreign animal diseases are very real to our producers. They cost billions of dollars, threaten our national food supply, and have serious trade implications.

That is why our animal health protection tools, like the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, are so important to preventing, responding to, and mitigating animal disease outbreaks.

The NAHLN is a critical system made up of over 60 state and university laboratories.

These labs serve as our first line of defense to protect producers through animal disease surveillance, diagnostic testing, and appropriate recovery efforts.

They also serve as a critical educational partner for industry groups and producers, working to inform both veterinarians and livestock and poultry growers about the most high-consequence foreign animal diseases.

Established in 2002, these labs have answered the call every time we needed them.

Whether it be BSE, new world screwworm, scrapie, chronic wasting disease, African swine fever, highly pathogenic avian influenza, foot and mouth disease, or a whole host of other animal diseases, their role cannot be understated.

I am thrilled that the One Big Beautiful Bill, which has now been signed into law by the President, includes funding for NAHLN, as well as the other components of our three-legged stool of animal health.

The NAHLN system will receive an increased investment of $10 million each year, on top of their existing discretionary allotments.

And while we weren’t able to increase the discretionary funding allotments due to the rules of reconciliation, it is my hope that these funds will be crucial to ensuring the capacity and effectiveness of the NAHLN system for decades to come.

To each of our witnesses – thank you again for being here. I look forward to hearing about your experiences and learning from your expertise. With that, I yield back.