[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 99 (Thursday, July 11, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H4390-H4394]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2642, FEDERAL AGRICULTURE REFORM
AND RISK MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2013
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Massachusetts is
recognized.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Oregon
(Ms. Bonamici) for a unanimous consent request.
Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and
extend my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the
underlying bill because it will increase hunger in America.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Oregon?
Mr. GOHMERT. I object.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Objection is heard.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my good friend, the gentleman
from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy) for a unanimous consent request.
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and
extend my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the
underlying bill because it takes food nutrition away from working
families.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Massachusetts?
Mr. GOHMERT. I object.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Objection is heard.
Parliamentary Inquiry
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Massachusetts will state
his point of parliamentary inquiry.
Mr. McGOVERN. Am I understanding the gentleman's objection correctly
that what he is doing is not even giving Members on our side the
courtesy of stating their statement in the Record?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state a proper
parliamentary inquiry.
Mr. McGOVERN. I'm trying to understand what the objection means of
the gentleman from Texas. Does that mean that the statement that the
gentleman from Massachusetts just made will not appear in the Record?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The objection was to the unanimous consent
request.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, at this point I yield to the gentlewoman
from New York (Mrs. Lowey), my good friend, for a unanimous consent
request.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend
my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the
underlying bill because it hurts the working poor and takes food and
nutrition from hardworking families.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from New York?
Mr. GOHMERT. I object.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Objection is heard.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlelady from Nevada (Ms.
Titus) for a unanimous consent request.
Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend
my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the
underlying bill because it takes the safety net away from America and
Nevada's poor families.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Nevada?
There was no objection.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the
District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) for a unanimous consent request.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend
my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill and the underlying
rule because it increases hunger and poverty in America.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
Mr. GOHMERT. I object.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Objection is heard.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds.
I think it is extremely unfortunate that Members on the other side of
the aisle would deny Members on this side of the aisle the ability to
insert written materials in the Record. In all my years here, I have
never seen such a discourteous gesture.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, at this time I am proud to yield 1 minute
to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield).
Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that the Republican Tea
Party has a national agenda that is playing out right here in this
Chamber today. You are attempting to defund food stamps--yes, you are--
and place poor people, which includes children and the elderly and
veterans, in a position that none of you would want to be in.
When it was time to reauthorize the farm bill, Republicans cut $16
billion in food stamps. And what happened? The Speaker refused to
schedule the bill for floor action, not because the cuts were too deep,
but because they were not deep enough. And so the Ag Committee made
deeper cuts, this time $20 billion in cuts. When the bill was debated,
Republicans then added mean-spirit amendments that doomed the bill. Now
you bring us another bill with no nutrition title at all.
We cannot stand by and be silent when Republicans take these actions
that offend what we are as Americans. We can do better than this.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to address their
remarks to the Chair and not directly to other Members of the body in
the second person.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McGOVERN. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr.
Blumenauer).
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the relentless focus on the
nutrition programs at risk; but remember, this is going to be the
costliest farm bill in history. It contains no reform. It concentrates
Federal cash on the largest, most profitable agribusiness. It
shortchanges conservation, guts protection for wetlands, prairies, and
forests. It rewards government dependency, not innovation.
You have managed to unite the Environmental Working Group, the Farm
Bureau, and the Club for Growth in opposition. Congratulations.
Please reject the rule and the underlying bill.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I believe it's important for us to
understand what's in the bill, and I'd like to yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), the chairman of the Agriculture
Committee.
Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I would have preferred to focus my time in
the general debate, and that's still my intention. The rule debate
historically, as we all know in this body, is more of a partisan
discussion, generally less focused on the details of the bill than the
intensity of the process or the perspective by which the next action
takes place. I understand that.
But I would say to my friends, and I will go into greater detail on
this in just a little bit, remember what you are about to vote on, a
rule to enable us to proceed to a vote entails, is consideration of a
bill that took two markups over 2 years in committee, where 100
amendments were considered in both markups, a process by which a bill
to the floor a couple of weeks ago subject to another 100 amendments,
tremendous debate, tremendous discussion, yet a bill that could not
quite get the muster of both the left and the right.
[[Page H4391]]
{time} 1230
So we wound up a little short in the middle. What you're voting on
today is the farm bill farm bill. It's what a lot of the folks back
home have said for years they want: consider every issue on its own
merit. Well, now, we're about to vote for a rule that will make that
possible.
But in the farm bill farm bill, we achieve savings in the commodity
title, do away with the direct payments, that thing that's caused such
great angst--people getting money for not doing anything. That's gone,
a substantial number of billions of dollars in savings.
Now, the committee had the spirit to believe that every part of the
existing farm bill policy should save resources, so we save money in
the conservation title, $6 billion. We consolidate programs. We
refocus.
I would say to all my friends on the floor, vote for the rule. Give
us a chance to proceed to the bill so that we can consider a farm bill
farm bill.
I can assure all of you that I have given my word to the members of
the Rules Committee, to Members on each side of this Chamber that the
committee will work hard to achieve a consensus on a nutrition bill. I
don't know what kind of a consensus that will be yet. It probably won't
satisfy both of my friends on each side of the room to the extreme.
But we, in good faith, did our work. Give us a chance to consider the
merits of our reform-minded bill. Give us a chance, then, to address
the nutrition title. Let the place work. Let the place work.
I thank the chairman of the Rules Committee for yielding some time to
me. I ask my colleagues to vote for this.
I would tell you, if anything, part of the biggest problem with the
bill 2 weeks ago was we saved money everywhere; and for some reason, no
one ever wants to give anything up in this place.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. SESSIONS. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.
Mr. LUCAS. Sometimes you have to have reform. Sometimes you have to
do things differently. But at least the Ag Committee chose to make the
reforms across our jurisdiction, to make everybody have a stake in the
savings.
I know that's contrary to how the place works; but for one time,
maybe, this session, or this day, or this year, or this decade, let's
try it the old way. Let's try and look at the issue. Let's try to be
fair and equitable to everyone, and let's do the legislative work to
get, ultimately, to where we need to be.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to insert in the Record the
letter from Taxpayers for Common Sense against this bill. I'd like to
also insert in the Record a letter from over 500 farm groups and
conservation groups that oppose this bill.
I also want to point out to my colleagues, the CBO estimates that
this bill, as written, will add $1.3 billion to the deficit in 2014.
House Leadership Proposes Outspending Senate in Farm Bill
Fresh on the heels of losing a Farm Bill vote on the Floor
because the rushed bill did not cut spending enough, House
leadership is floating another plan to keep the checks
flowing to agriculture special interests: strip out nutrition
programs and pass an Ag-only Farm Bill that spends more than
one passed by a Democrat-controlled Senate. In fact it would
spend drastically more than either the comparable portions of
the President's FY14 budget request or Rep Paul Ryan's FY14
budget (which called for $38 billion and $31 billion in
savings, respectively).
That's right, the Republican House majority leadership is
pushing a bill that would save less than they promised,
President Obama proposed, or the Senate adopted.
The Ag-only Farm Bill shows just how resistant House
lawmakers are to reining in our nation's deficits.
House Ag-only Farm Bill Savings: $12.8 billion.
Senate Ag-only Farm Bill Savings: $13.9 billion.
Splitting nutrition and agriculture programs into separate
bills is a good idea, but only because it would break the Ag-
Urban unholy alliance that logrolled over attempts to reform
both programs. To deny amendments and reforms would make
bifurcation virtually meaningless. Each bill must be open to
robust debate to ensure taxpayers are footing the bill for
only the most cost-effective, accountable, transparent, and
responsive safety net for farmers and the hungry poor.
An Ag-only Farm Bill the likes of H.R. 1947 is the opposite
of reform. It would:
Cannibalize savings to create new generous shallow loss
entitlement programs.
Resurrect goverment-set target prices that are higher than
in the Senate bill.
Exclude all common sense steps toward right-sizing the
federally subsidized crop insurance program--which was
estimated to cost taxpayers a record $14 billion in FY12. No
means testing to exclude millionaire businessmen, no limit on
subsidies, zero cuts to insurance company delivery subsidies,
and no transparency on who is benefiting from taxpayer
spending.
Increase spending on subsidized crop insurance by $9
billion.
But that's not all, the House bill would:
Increase FY14 spending by $1.34 billion above the current
baseline.
Only save $3.9 billion over the life of the actual bill
(FY14-18) with the rest ($9 billion) occurring after this
farm bill expires in FY18.
If Congress simply eliminated direct payments and the
failed Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program (which
nearly everyone agrees needs to happen), taxpayers would save
nearly $50 billion. Adding in a few common sense reforms to
the highly subsidized crop insurance program (instead of
shoveling $9 billion in new special interest subsidies) would
easily save taxpayers $100 billion or more.
Splitting the bill should be used to get better reforms out
of both nutrition programs and the rest of the farm bill
instead of just using it as a tactic to get to a conference
committee to protect agriculture and nutrition's sacred cows.
Simply divorcing the two with no opportunity for additional
reforms isn't acceptable when our nation faces a $16.8
trillion debt. Instead of eventually sticking taxpayers with
a trillion dollar farm bill that barely puts a dent in the
deficit, lawmakers need to go back to the drawing board and
come up with a fiscally responsible solution that enacts a
more cost-effective, accountable, transparent, and responsive
farm safety net.
____
July 2, 2013.
Hon. John Boehner,
Speaker, House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Speaker Boehner: America's agriculture, conservation,
rural development, finance, forestry, energy and crop
insurance companies and organizations strongly urge you to
bring the Farm Bill (H.R. 1947, the Federal Agriculture
Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013) back to the Floor as
soon as possible. This important legislation supports our
nation's farmers, ranchers, forest owners, food security,
natural resources and wildlife habitats, rural communities,
and the 16 million Americans whose jobs directly depend on
the agriculture industry.
Farm bills represent a delicate balance between America's
farm, nutrition, conservation, and other priorities, and
accordingly require strong bipartisan support. It is vital
for the House to try once again to bring together a broad
coalition of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to
provide certainty for farmers, rural America, the environment
and our economy in general and pass a five-year farm bill
upon returning in July. We believe that splitting the
nutrition title from the rest of the bill could result in
neither farm nor nutrition programs passing, and urge you to
move a unified farm bill forward.
Thank you for your support. We look forward to our
continued dialogue as the process moves forward and stand
ready to work with you to complete passage of the new five-
year Farm Bill before the current law expires again on
September 30, 2013.
Sincerely,
1st Farm Credit Services, 25x'25, Advanced Biofuels
Association, Ag Credit, ACA, AgChoice, AgGeorgia, AgHeritage
Farm Credit Services, AgriBank, Agriculture Council of
Arkansas, Agriculture Energy Coalition.
Agricultural Retailers Association, AgriLand, Agri-Mark,
Inc., AgCarolina, AgCountry, AgFirst, AgPreference, AgSouth,
AgStar Financial Services, ACA, AgTexas, Alabama Ag Credit,
Alabama Cotton Commission, Alabama Dairy Producers, Alabama
Farm Credit, Alabama Farmers Cooperative, Alabama Farmers
Federation.
Alabama Pork Producers, Alaska Farmers Union, American
AgCredit, American Agriculture Movement, American Association
of Avian Pathologists, American Association of Bovine
Practitioners, American Association of Crop Insurers,
American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners,
American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians,
American Bankers Association, American Beekeeping Federation,
American Biogas Council, American Coalition for Ethanol,
American Cotton Shippers Association, American Crystal Sugar
Company, American Dairy Science Association.
American Farm Bureau Federation, American Farmers and
Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company, American Farmland Trust,
American Feed Industry Association, American Fruit and
Vegetable Processors and Growers Coalition, American Forest
Foundation, American Forest Resource Council, American
Forests, American Honey Producers Association, American
Malting Barley Association, American Pulse Association,
American Public Works Association, American Sheep Industry
Association, American Society of Agronomy, American Sugar
Alliance, American Sugar Cane League.
American Sugarbeet Growers Association, American Society of
Farm Managers and
[[Page H4392]]
Rural Appraisers, American Soybean Association, American
Veterinary Medical Association, Animal Agriculture Coalition,
Animal Health Institute, WAArborOne, Archery Trade
Association, Arizona Farm Bureau Federation, Arizona
Bioindustry Association, Arizona Wool Producers Association,
Arkansas Farm Bureau, Arkansas Farmers Union, Arkansas Rice
Federation, Arkansas Rice Producers' Group, Arkansas State
Sheep Council.
Associated Logging Contractors--Idaho, Associated Milk
Producers, Inc., Associated Oregon Loggers, Association of
American Veterinary Medical Colleges, Association of
Equipment Manufacturers, Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies, Association of Veterinary Biologics Companies,
Badgerland Financial, Bio Nebraska Life Sciences Association,
BioForward, Biotechnology Industry Organization, Black Hills
Forest Resource Association, Bongard's Creamery, Boone and
Crockett Club, Bowhunting Preservation Alliance, Calcot.
California Agricultural Irrigation Association, California
Association of Resource Conservation Districts, California
Association of Winegrape Growers, California Avocado
Commission, California Canning Peach Association, California
Farm Bureau Federation, California Farmers Union, California
Forestry Association, California Pork Producers Association,
California Wool Growers Association, Calvin Viator, Ph.D. and
Associates, LLC, The Campbell Group, Can Manufacturers
Institute, Canned Food Alliance, Cape Fear Farm Credit,
Capital Farm Credit.
Carolina Cotton Growers Cooperative, Catch-A-Dream
Foundation, Catfish Farmers of America, Central Kentucky,
ACA, Ceres Solutions LLP, Chrisholm Trail Farm Credit, CHS,
Inc., CoBank, Colonial Farm Credit, Colorado BioScience
Association, Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Timber Industry
Association, Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation,
Connecticut Forest & Park Association, Connecticut United for
Research Excellence, Inc., The Conservation Fund.
Continental Dairy Products, Inc, Cooperative Credit
Company, Cooperative Network, Cora-Texas Mfg. Co., Inc., Corn
Producers Association of Texas, Cotton Growers Warehouse
Association, Council for Agricultural Science and Technology,
Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau, Crop Insurance
Professionals Association, Crop Science Society of America,
CropLife America, Dairy Farmers of America, Dairy Farmers
Working Together, Dairy Producers of Utah, Dairylea
Cooperative Inc., Darigold, Inc.
Delta Council, Delta Waterfowl, Deltic Timber Corporation,
Ducks Unlimited, DUDA (A. Duda & Sons, Inc.), Eastern
Regional Conference of Council of State Governments, Empire
State Forest Products Association, Environmental and Energy
Study Institute, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Family
Farm Alliance, Family Forest Foundation--Washington, Farm
Credit Bank of Texas, Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation,
Farm Credit Council, Farm Credit Council Services, Farm
Credit East.
Farm Credit MidSouth, Farm Credit of Central Florida, Farm
Credit of Central Oklahoma, Farm Credit of Enid, Farm Credit
of Florida, Farm Credit of Maine, Farm Credit of Ness City,
Farm Credit of New Mexico, Farm Credit of North West Florida,
Farm Credit of Southern Colorado, Farm Credit of SW Kansas,
Farm Credit of Western Arkansas, Farm Credit of Western
Kansas, Farm Credit of Western Oklahoma, Farm Credit Services
of America, Farm Credit Services of Illinois.
Farm Credit South, Farm Credit Virginias, Farm Credit West,
Farmer Mac, FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative, FCS Financial, FCS
of America, FCS of Colusa-Glenn, FCS of East/Central
Oklahoma, FCS of Hawaii, FCS of Illinois, FCS of Mandan, FCS
of Mid-America, FCS of North Dakota, FCS of Southwest,
Federation of Animal Science Societies.
First District Association, First FCS, First South Farm
Credit, FLBA of Kingsburg, Florida Fruit and Vegetable
Association, Florida Sugar Cane League, Forest Investment
Associates, Forest Landowners Association, Forest Products
National Labor Management Committee, Forest Resource
Association Inc., Fresno-Madera Farm Credit, Frontier Farm
Credit, Fruit Growers Supply Company, Georgia Agribusiness
Council, Georgia Farm Bureau Federation, Georgia Forestry
Association.
Georgia Pork Producers Association, Giustina Resources,
LLC, Global Forest Partners LP, GMO Renewable Resources,
Great Plains Ag Credit, Great Plains Canola Association,
Green Diamond Resource Company, Greenstone, GROWMARK, Inc,
Growth Energy, Hancock Timber Resource Group, Hardwood
Federation, Hawaii Farmers Union, Hawaii Sugar Farmers,
Heritage Land Bank, Holstein Association USA.
Idaho Ag Credit, Idaho Dairymen's Association, Idaho
Farmers Union, Idaho Forest Group, Idaho Forest Owners
Association, Idaho Grain Producers Association, Illinois
Biotechnology Industry Organization--iBIO',
Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Farmers Union, Illinois Pork
Producers Association, Independent Beef Association of North
Dakota, Independent Community Bankers of America, Indiana
Farm Bureau, Inc., Indiana Farmers Union, Indiana Health
Industry Forum, Innovative Mississippi--Strategic Biomass
Solutions.
Intermountain Forest Association, Intertribal Agriculture
Council, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Farmers Union,
Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Sheep Industry
Association, IowaBio, Irrigation Association, Irving
Woodlands, LLC, Izaak Walton League of America, John Deere
Crop Insurance, Kansas Cooperative Council, Kansas Dairy,
Kansas Farm Bureau, Kansas Farmers Union, Kansas Grain
Sorghum Producers Association.
Kansas Pork Association, Kansas Sheep Association, Kentucky
Forest Industries Association, Kentucky Pork Producers
Association, Land Improvement Contractors of America, Land
O'Lakes, Land Stewardship Project, Land Trust Alliance, Lone
Rock Timber Management Co., Longview Timber LLC, Louisiana
Farm Bureau Federation, Inc., Louisiana Forest Association,
Louisiana Rice Growers Association, Louisiana Rice Producers'
Group, Louisiana Sugar Cane Cooperative, Inc., Lula-
Westfield, LLC.
Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative, Maryland
Association of Soil Conservation Districts, Maryland Farm
Bureau, Inc., Maryland Grain Producers Association, Maryland
Sheep Breeders' Association, Inc., Massachusetts Farm Bureau
Federation, Inc., Massachusetts Forest Alliance, MassBio, MBG
Marketing/The Blueberry People, Michigan Agri-Business
Association, Michigan Farm Bureau, Michigan Farmers Union,
Michigan Pork Producers Association, Michigan Sugar Company,
Michigan-California Timber Company, Mid-West Dairymen's Co.
MidAtlantic Farm Credit, Midwest Dairy Coalition, Midwest
Environmental Advocates, Midwest Food Processors Association,
Milk Producers Council, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative,
Minnesota Canola Council, Minnesota Corn Growers Association,
Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation, Minnesota Farmers Union,
Minnesota Forest Industries, Minnesota Grain & Feed
Association, Minnesota Lamb & Wool Producers, Minnesota Pork
Producers Association, Minnesota Timber Producers
Association, Mississippi River Trust.
Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Missouri Dairy
Association, Missouri Farm Bureau Federation, Missouri
Farmers Union, Missouri Pork Association, Missouri Sheep
Producers, Missouri Soybean Association, The Molpus Woodlands
Group, Montana Grain Growers Association, Montana Farmers
Union, Mule Deer Foundation, National Association of
Counties, National Association of State Departments of
Agriculture, National All-Jersey, National Alliance of Forest
Owners, National Association for the Advancement of Animal
Science.
National Association of Clean Water Agencies, National
Association of Conservation Districts, National Association
of Farmer Elected Committees, National Association of Federal
Veterinarians, National Association of Forest Service
Retirees, National Association of FSA County Office
Employees, National Association of Resource Conservation &
Development Councils, National Association of State
Conservation Agencies, National Association of State
Foresters, National Association of University Forest Resource
Programs, National Association of Wheat Growers, National
Barley Growers Association, National Bobwhite Conservation
Initiative, National Catholic Rural Life Conference, National
Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research, National
Conservation District Employees Association.
National Corn Growers Association, National Cotton Council,
National Cotton Ginners' Association, National Council of
Farmer Cooperatives, National Farmers Union, National Farm to
School Network, National Grange, National Grape Cooperative
Association, Inc., National Milk Producers Federation,
National Network of Forest Practitioners, National Pork
Producers Council, National Renderers Association, National
Rural Electric Cooperative Association, National Sorghum
Producers, National Sunflower Association, National Trappers
Association.
National Wild Turkey Federation, National Woodland Owners
Association, Nebraska Cooperative Council, Nebraska Farm
Bureau Federation, Nebraska Farmers Union, Nebraska Pork
Producers Association, Nevada Farm Bureau Federation, Nevada
Wool Growers Association, New England Farmers Union, New
Jersey Farm Bureau, New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, New
Mexico Sorghum Association, New York Farm Bureau, Inc., New
York Forest Owners Association, Nexsteppe, North American
Grouse Partnership.
North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Inc, North Carolina
Forestry Association, North Carolina Pork Council, North
Dakota Farmers Union, North Dakota Lamb & Wool Producers,
North Dakota Pork Producers Council, Northarvest Bean Growers
Association, Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperatives, Northeast
States Association for Agricultural Stewardship, Northern
California Farm Credit, Northern Canola Growers Association,
Northern Forest Center, Northern Pulse Growers Association,
Northwest Dairy Association, Northwest Farm Credit Services,
Novozymes North America Inc.
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., Ohio Farm Bureau Federation,
Inc., Ohio Farmers Union, Ohio Pork Producers Council,
Oklahoma Agribusiness Retailers Association, Oklahoma
Agricultural Cooperative Council, Oklahoma Farmers Union,
Oklahoma Grain & Feed Association, Oklahoma Pork Council,
Oklahoma Seed Trade Association, Oklahoma Sorghum
Association, Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association, Oregon
Association of Nurseries, Oregon Cherry Growers, Inc., Oregon
Dairy Farmers Association, Oregon Farmers Union.
Oregon Sheep Growers Association, Oregon Small Woodland
Association, Oregon Women
[[Page H4393]]
in Timber, Orion the Hunter's Institute, Panhandle-Plains
Land Bank, Partners for Sustainable Pollination, Pennsylvania
Farm Bureau, Pennsylvania Farmers Union, Pennsylvania Forest
Products Association, Pheasants Forever, Plains Cotton
Cooperative Association, Plains Cotton Growers, Inc., Plum
Creek Timber Company, Pollinator Partnership, Pope and Young
Club, Port Blakely Tree Farms, LP.
Potlatch Corporation, Prairie Rivers Network, Premier Farm
Credit, Puerto Rico Farm Credit, Quality Deer Management
Association, Quail Forever, Rayonier Inc., Red Gold, Inc, Red
River Forests, LLC, Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers
Association, Renewable Fuels Association, Resource Management
Service, LLC, Rhode Island Sheep Cooperative, Rio Grande
Valley Sugar Growers, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Rolling
Plains Cotton Growers, Inc.
Ruffed Grouse Society, The Rural Broadband Association,
Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Select Milk
Producers, Inc. Seneca Foods, Shasta Forests Timberlands,
LLC, Sidney Sugars, Inc., Sierra Pacific Industries, Society
of American Foresters, Soil and Water Conservation Society,
Soil Science Society of America, South Carolina Farm Bureau
Federation, South Dakota Association of Cooperatives, South
Dakota Biotech Association, South Dakota Farmers Union, South
Dakota Pork Producers.
South Dakota Wheat Growers, South East Dairy Farmers
Association, Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association,
South Texas Cotton and Grain Association, Southeast Milk
Inc., Southern Cotton Growers, Inc., Southern Minnesota Beet
Sugar Cooperative, Southern Peanut Farmers Federation,
Southern Rolling Plains Cotton Growers Association of Texas,
Southern States Cooperative, Inc., Southwest Council of
Agribusiness, Southwest Georgia Farm Credit, St. Albans
Cooperative, Staplcotn, State Agriculture and Rural Leaders,
Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida.
Sustainable Forest Initiative, Sustainable Northwest,
Tennessee Clean Water Network, Tennessee Farm Bureau
Federation, Tennessee Forestry Association, Tennessee
Renewable Energy & Economic Development Council, Texas Ag
Finance, Texas Agricultural Cooperative Council, Texas
Farmers Union, Texas Forestry Association, Texas Healthcare
and Bioscience Institute, Texas Land Bank, Texas Pork
Producers Association, Texas Rice Producers Legislative
Group, Texas Sheep & Goat Raisers' Association, Timberland
Investment Resources.
Timber Products Company, The Amalgamated Sugar Company,
The Bank of Commerce, The Nature Conservancy, The Small
Woodland Owners Association of Maine, Theodore Roosevelt
Conservation Partnership, Trust for Public Land, United
Dairymen of Arizona, United FCS, U.S. Animal Health
Association, U.S. Beet Sugar Association, U.S. Canola
Association, U.S. Cattlemen's Association, U.S. Dry Bean
Council, U.S. Pea & Lentil Trade Association, U.S. Rice
Producers Association.
U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council,
USA Rice Federation, Utah Farmers Union, Utah Wool Growers
Association, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, Virginia
Forestry Association, Virginia Grain Producers Association,
Virginia Pork Industry Board, Virginia Nursery & Landscape
Association, Virginia State Dairymen's Association,
Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association, Washington
Farm Bureau, Washington Farmers Union.
Washington State Council of Farmer Cooperatives, Washington
State Dairy Federation, Welch Foods Inc., A Cooperative,
Wells Timberland REIT, Western AgCredit, Western Growers,
Western Pea & Lentil Growers, Western Peanut Growers
Association, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Western Sugar
Cooperative, Western United Dairymen, The Westervelt Company,
Weyerhaeuser Company, Whitetails Unlimited, Inc.
Wild Sheep Foundation, Wildlife Forever, Wildlife
Management Institute, Wildlife Mississippi, Wisconsin Agri-
Business Association, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Wisconsin
Paper Council, Wisconsin Pork Association, Wisconsin Woodland
Owners Association, Women Involved in Farm Economics, World
Wildlife Fund, Wyoming Sugar Company, Yankee Farm Credit,
Yosemite Farm Credit.
Mr. McGOVERN. At this point I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).
Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, this is a shameful day. The House
Republican leadership has decided again to abandon all efforts to come
to a bipartisan agreement on the farm bill. Instead, they've launched
an attack--on the working poor, veterans, children and seniors who rely
on the nutrition program--in a desperate attempt to win political
points with their conservative base.
After an embarrassing, chaotic defeat of their last proposal, they've
decided to make a bad situation even worse. This proposal strips out
the entire nutrition title, putting families and children at risk of
going hungry.
They made a clear choice to protect generous subsidies for
agriculture corporations at the expense of the hungry and the working
poor.
Make no mistake: today, House Republicans are telling hungry
children, food banks struggling to meet the needs of their communities,
and low-income seniors who depend on food assistance that their needs
don't matter.
And I urge my colleagues to understand that for 180,000 Rhode
Islanders who benefit from this nutrition program, they are not
extraneous. This is disgraceful, it's immoral, and it's contrary to our
values as a Nation.
I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this shameful proposal.
Mr. SESSIONS. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield for a unanimous consent request to
the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano).
Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and
extend my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the
underlying bill because it takes food nutrition from working families.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York.
Mr. GOHMERT. I object.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Objection is heard.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to yield for a unanimous consent
request to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch).
Mr. WELCH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend
my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the
underlying bill because it takes food nutrition from working families.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Vermont?
Mr. GOHMERT. I object.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Objection is heard.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. I have
no additional speakers except myself when I close.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I'm the final speaker on our side, so I
yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, this is about our values. This is about what we stand
for.
The constant attacks by some of my Republican friends, by many on the
other side of the aisle, on SNAP, on poor people, on the vulnerable is
just plain wrong. And, quite frankly, it's offensive.
Three weeks ago, this farm bill failed in this House because the
Republicans cannot govern. You know, you are in control. Sixty-two of
your Members, including five committee chairs, voted ``no.''
To suggest that somehow Democrats should have carried this bill is
ludicrous because I want to make one thing clear: we are not going to
vote for a bill that sticks it to poor people, and that's exactly what
this bill does.
The bill that you had on the floor that threw 2 million people off
SNAP was unacceptable, and we could not vote for that.
There are 50 million people in this country who are hungry; 17
million of them are children. Millions of people who are on SNAP work
for a living. They go to work every day; but they earn so little, they
still qualify for this benefit.
These are our neighbors. These are our brothers; these are our
sisters. Please do not turn your backs on them. Please do not turn your
backs on these people. We are a better country than that.
Please don't be so callous, because that's what this is about, when
you throw 2 million people off this benefit, or even more. Because we
have no idea what was promised to get votes on this current bill right
now. We have no idea how much you're going to cut the SNAP program or
whether you're going to sunset it, because none of us know what was
decided in the Republican Conference.
But when you cut people who are poor, when you deny them the benefit
of food, which should be a right in this country, that is callous. That
is cruel. We should not be doing that.
We should be about helping people, not hurting people. So have a
heart.
Where's your conscience?
What makes this country great, what makes America great is that we've
had a tradition for caring for the least among us. That's why we're so
angry over here, because all of a sudden it seems like we're turning
our backs on the poor.
[[Page H4394]]
There used to be a bipartisan consensus when it came to making sure
that the hungry in this country get enough to eat. There's a long
history of bipartisanship on this.
All of a sudden this has become a partisan issue, and the target, so
that you can try to balance the budget, has been placed right on the
programs like SNAP, nutrition programs, programs that feed our senior
citizens, provide our children meals in schools.
You've even gone after WIC. Enough. Enough. We can do better. We can
have a bipartisan farm bill if you will move over to our side and
understand that we have an obligation to take care of the most
vulnerable.
So vote ``no'' on this rule. Vote ``no'' on the underlying bill. We
can do so much better.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to address their
remarks to the Chair, not to other Members of the body in the second
person.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remaining time.
I believe that the gentleman from Oklahoma represents not just the
conscience of my party, but also of the Members of the House of
Representatives. I think he well and faithfully is attempting to do his
job; and it is this body today that will have an opportunity, after
hearing the gentleman from Oklahoma speak about not just his desire,
but his leadership on behalf of the Agriculture Committee.
As he approached the Rules Committee last night, he spoke very
clearly and eloquently and said it is his desire to have the farm bill
farm bill, as he calls it, to be able to be before this body today
where we can pass good and wise farm bill policy.
He also stated, before not only all the Members, but also in
testimony that he presented to the committee, that it is his intent to
follow up today's bill, farm bill farm bill, with a nutrition program
bill that he would bring to the Rules Committee for this House to
consider.
This man has worked on a bipartisan basis and, I believe, should have
the admiration and respect of this body. But more importantly, the
gentleman placed his word of what he's trying to do before this body. I
think he is a sincere and honest man.
It is my intent, as the chairman of the Rules Committee, as it was
last night, to say to this body today, this bill, farm bill farm bill,
that is before you does appropriate and good things for farmers and for
people who make a living and provide this country with the agriculture
and products it needs. We are trying to make sure that that is
faithfully and well done today.
I believe the gentleman from Oklahoma deserves the respect of this
body, and I would ask for each and every one of us to please vote
``yes'' on this rule and the underlying legislation.
Mr. SESSIONS. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the
previous question on the resolution.
The previous question was ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Recorded Vote
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
A recorded vote was ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 223,
noes 195, not voting 16, as follows:
[Roll No. 349]
AYES--223
Aderholt
Alexander
Amash
Amodei
Bachmann
Bachus
Barletta
Barr
Barton
Benishek
Bentivolio
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blackburn
Bonner
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Bridenstine
Brooks (AL)
Brooks (IN)
Buchanan
Bucshon
Burgess
Calvert
Camp
Cantor
Capito
Carter
Chabot
Chaffetz
Coble
Coffman
Cole
Collins (GA)
Collins (NY)
Conaway
Cook
Cotton
Cramer
Crawford
Crenshaw
Culberson
Daines
Davis, Rodney
Denham
Dent
DeSantis
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Ellmers
Farenthold
Fincher
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gardner
Garrett
Gerlach
Gibbs
Gibson
Gingrey (GA)
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (MO)
Griffin (AR)
Griffith (VA)
Grimm
Guthrie
Hall
Hanna
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Hastings (WA)
Heck (NV)
Hensarling
Herrera Beutler
Holding
Hudson
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hurt
Issa
Jenkins
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, Sam
Jordan
Joyce
Kelly (PA)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kinzinger (IL)
Kline
Labrador
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Lance
Lankford
Latham
Latta
LoBiondo
Long
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Marchant
Marino
Massie
McCarthy (CA)
McCaul
McClintock
McHenry
McKeon
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
Meadows
Meehan
Messer
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Mullin
Mulvaney
Murphy (PA)
Neugebauer
Noem
Nugent
Nunes
Nunnelee
Olson
Palazzo
Paulsen
Pearce
Perry
Petri
Pittenger
Pitts
Poe (TX)
Pompeo
Posey
Price (GA)
Radel
Reed
Reichert
Renacci
Ribble
Rice (SC)
Rigell
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross
Rothfus
Royce
Runyan
Ryan (WI)
Salmon
Sanford
Scalise
Schock
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shuster
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Southerland
Stewart
Stivers
Stockman
Stutzman
Terry
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Tipton
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walorski
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Williams
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Wolf
Womack
Woodall
Yoder
Yoho
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
Young (IN)
NOES--195
Andrews
Barber
Barrow (GA)
Bass
Beatty
Becerra
Bera (CA)
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Bonamici
Brady (PA)
Braley (IA)
Brown (FL)
Brownley (CA)
Bustos
Butterfield
Capps
Capuano
Cardenas
Carney
Cartwright
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu
Cicilline
Clarke
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Courtney
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny
DeFazio
DeGette
Delaney
DeLauro
DelBene
Deutch
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle
Duckworth
Edwards
Ellison
Engel
Enyart
Eshoo
Esty
Farr
Fattah
Foster
Frankel (FL)
Fudge
Gabbard
Gallego
Garamendi
Garcia
Grayson
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hahn
Hanabusa
Hastings (FL)
Heck (WA)
Higgins
Himes
Hinojosa
Honda
Hoyer
Huffman
Israel
Jackson Lee
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson, E. B.
Jones
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilmer
Kind
Kirkpatrick
Kuster
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee (CA)
Levin
Lewis
Lipinski
Loebsack
Lofgren
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lujan Grisham (NM)
Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
Lynch
Maffei
Maloney, Carolyn
Maloney, Sean
Matheson
Matsui
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McIntyre
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Michaud
Miller, George
Moore
Moran
Murphy (FL)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Nolan
O'Rourke
Owens
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor (AZ)
Payne
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Peters (CA)
Peters (MI)
Peterson
Pingree (ME)
Pocan
Polis
Price (NC)
Quigley
Rahall
Rangel
Richmond
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schneider
Schrader
Schwartz
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Serrano
Sewell (AL)
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Sinema
Sires
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Speier
Swalwell (CA)
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Titus
Tonko
Tsongas
Van Hollen
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walz
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watt
Waxman
Welch
Wilson (FL)
Yarmuth
NOT VOTING--16
Broun (GA)
Campbell
Carson (IN)
Cassidy
Gohmert
Holt
Horsford
Hunter
Kaptur
Lummis
Markey
McCarthy (NY)
Negrete McLeod
Rogers (MI)
Schweikert
Shimkus
{time} 1300
Mr. BEN RAY LUJAN of New Mexico changed his vote from ``aye'' to
``no.''
So the resolution was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________