[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 80 (Wednesday, May 16, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H3985-H3986]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             AMERICAN SUGAR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Louisiana (Mr. Higgins) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the 
American farmer.
  Mr. Speaker, will this body recognize the heritage and culture, the 
sacrifice of American farmers, who for generations have provided for 
our country and our world.
  I rise today in support of one of America's most important 
agricultural commodities that supports an industry which produces $20 
billion of domestic economic activity annually: sugar.
  I have the honor of representing southwest Louisiana, where sugar 
contributes $3.5 billion to our State economy annually and employs over 
16,000 hardworking Louisiana citizens.
  Mr. Speaker, these men and women have come into their lives embracing 
the heritage and hard work of their mothers, their fathers, their 
grandmothers, their grandfathers. For generations, by the toil of their 
labor and the sweat of their brow, they have tilled the soil and raised 
sugar.
  The United States has historically been a reliable supplier of high-
quality,

[[Page H3986]]

low-cost sugar that is used by consumers domestically and 
internationally. In fact, Americans on average spend over 20 percent 
less for sugar than consumers in other nations, and manufacturers pay 
roughly the same price for American sugar that they did in the 1980s.
  American sugar growers last year produced 32,000 tons of sugar, 
13,800 tons of which came from south Louisiana.
  While sugar prices have remained flat for the past three decades, the 
cost of farming has not, as equipment, fuel, and fertilizer costs have 
all risen between 90 percent to 200 percent in that same timeframe.

                              {time}  1045

  We must protect the future of American sugar and American sugar 
farmers, American sugar farm families.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support American farmers and 
pass H.R. 2, the Agricultural and Nutrition Act of 2018, as amended, by 
the House Committee on Agriculture.

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