[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 80 (Wednesday, May 16, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H4046-H4050]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018


                             General Leave

  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 891 and rule 
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House 
on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 2.
  The Chair appoints the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Mitchell) to 
preside over the Committee of the Whole.

                              {time}  1653


                     In the Committee of the Whole

  Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the 
Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill 
(H.R. 2) to provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and 
other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 
2023, and for other purposes, with Mr. Mitchell in the chair.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The CHAIR. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the 
first time.
  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway) and the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Peterson) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2, the 
Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, more commonly known as the farm 
bill. I do so, proudly, because I still believe that rural America and 
our farm and ranch familles are the backbone of this country.
  Our farmers and ranchers ensure that Americans across this great 
country pay the lowest grocery bills in the world. They also hand us a 
rare trade surplus, while creating 21 million American jobs.
  In the heartland, agriculture is the lifeblood of the economy. When 
agriculture does well, Main Street does well; and when agriculture is 
suffering, so is Main Street.
  But beyond the economic contributions, rural America and our Nation's 
farmers and ranchers are imbued with the values that I cherish deeply: 
the values of faith, family, God, country, and duty; of neighbor 
helping neighbor, hard work, and personal responsibility.
  In short, Mr. Chairman, rural America and our Nation's farmers and 
ranchers make America great. I expect that is why the President of the 
United States strongly supports this farm bill and urges passage.
  Times are not good right now in the heartland. Our Nation's farmers 
and ranchers are struggling in the midst of a 5-year recession, with no 
end in sight. Net farm income has been cut in half over this period of 
time. As a result, rural America is not partaking in the economic 
recovery that urban counterparts are experiencing.
  There are many reasons behind the hard times in farm and ranch 
country. I will briefly discuss two.
  In my hometown of Midland, Texas, we have received 1 inch of rain 
over the last 195 days. Drought is ravaging my State. Last year, we saw 
record losses due to hurricanes and wildfires. And to the north, in the 
ranking member's home State, farmers are struggling to get into the 
fields to plant, although it is the middle of May. The fact is the men 
and women who clothe and feed us in a manner that is absolutely 
unrivaled in world history are the ones hit hardest and first by Mother 
Nature.
  A second reason for the current condition is another factor totally 
beyond the control of our farm and ranch families: the predatory trade 
practices of foreign countries. For the sake of brevity, I will offer 
just one example.
  In just 1 year, China oversubsidized just three crops by more than $1 
billion. To put that in perspective, the entire safety net for all of 
our farmers and ranchers under this farm bill is expected to cost just 
64 percent of the amount China spent on illegal subsidies in just 1 
year on just three crops.
  Mr. Chairman, the global market is awash with high and rising foreign 
subsidies, tariffs, and nontariff trade barriers, and these are hurting 
American farmers and ranchers.
  So what do we do about that? We heed the call of the President of the 
United States and the Secretary of Agriculture to pass this farm bill.
  No, this farm bill is not a cure for all that ails rural America and 
our farmers and ranchers, but this farm bill does provide a safety net 
to see them through the hard times.
  For my colleagues interested in the budgetary impacts of this farm 
bill, H.R. 2 keeps faith with taxpayers, with CBO now projecting more 
than $112 billion in savings, nearly five times what was pledged back 
in 2014.

  There are many other aspects of this farm bill, but I will just 
briefly touch on three.
  First, Secretary Perdue has shown great leadership on two particular 
issues that are extremely important to rural America: the opioid 
epidemic that is ravaging rural America needs an aggressive, effective 
response, and the lack of broadband in many parts of rural America puts 
farmers and ranchers in rural communities at a terrible disadvantage. 
The Secretary is determined to tackle these problems and has asked for 
the tools he needs to make it happen. This farm bill provides those 
tools.
  Second, it is no secret that we do not have a bipartisan farm bill 
process at this moment, and that I deeply regret. Ultimately, Democrats 
and Republicans chose to agree to disagree on the question of whether 
work-capable adults should work or get free job training for 20 hours 
per week in order to be eligible for SNAP.
  I respect my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, but I do want 
to be clear about something: This farm bill in no way, shape, or form 
disrespects Americans who depend on SNAP. To the contrary, the farm 
bill keeps faith with SNAP beneficiaries, providing needed benefits and 
something more--the dignity that comes with work and the promise of a 
better life that a job brings. I want these Americans to realize the 
American Dream.
  Finally, in closing, I want to note that there is a cottage industry 
in this town that is determined to defeat this farm bill. They want 
this House to ignore the realities of Mother Nature and

[[Page H4047]]

the predatory trade practices of foreign countries and turn our back on 
farm and ranch families struggling to hang on in the face of these hard 
times.
  Mr. Chairman, that should not happen on our watch. I urge my 
colleagues to stand by the hardworking families that put food on our 
tables and clothes on our backs and still live every day by the values 
that made this country truly great. Let's stand up for rural America. 
Let's pass this farm bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                                         House of Representatives,


                                     Committee on Agriculture,

                                   Washington, DC, April 30, 2018.
     Hon. Rob Bishop,
     Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Bishop: I appreciate your support in bringing 
     this legislation before the House of Representatives, and 
     accordingly, understand that the Committee on Natural 
     Resources will forego action on the bill.
       The Committee on Agriculture concurs in the mutual 
     understanding that by foregoing consideration of the bill at 
     this time, the Committee on Natural Resources does not waive 
     any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this 
     bill or similar legislation in the future. In addition, 
     should a conference on this bill be necessary, I would 
     support your request to have the Committee on Natural 
     Resources represented on the conference committee.
       I will insert copies of this exchange in the Congressional 
     Record during Floor consideration. I appreciate your 
     cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward to 
     continuing to work the Committee on Natural Resources as this 
     bill moves through the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                               K. Michael Conaway,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                               Committee on Natural Resources,

                                   Washington, DC, April 30, 2018.
     Hon. K. Michael Conaway,
     Chairman, Committee on Agriculture,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: I have received your letter regarding 
     H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, which 
     contains provisions within the jurisdiction of the Committee 
     on Natural Resources.
       In the interest of permitting you to proceed expeditiously 
     to floor consideration of this very important bill, I will 
     not seek a referral of H.R. 2. I do so with the understanding 
     that the Natural Resources Committee does not waive any 
     future jurisdictional claim over the subject matter contained 
     in the bill that fall within its Rule X jurisdiction. 
     Further, I appreciate the work between our committees on 
     forest management and look forward to working with you to 
     build upon the important provisions within Title VIII of the 
     bill as it moves through the legislative process. I also 
     appreciate your support to name members of the Natural 
     Resources Committee to any conference committee to consider 
     such provisions and for inserting our exchange of letters on 
     H.R. 2 into the Congressional Record during consideration of 
     the measure on the House floor.
       Congratulations on marshalling this monumental achievement 
     through committee, and thank you again for the very 
     cooperative spirit in which you and your staff have worked 
     regarding this matter and many others between our respective 
     committees.
           Sincerely,
                                                       Rob Bishop,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                   Committee on the Judiciary,

                                      Washington, DC, May 1, 2018.
     Hon. K. Michael Conaway,
     Chairman, Committee on Agriculture,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Conaway: I write with respect to H.R. 2, the 
     ``Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018.'' As a result of 
     your having consulted with us on provisions within H.R. 2 
     that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on 
     the Judiciary, I forego any further consideration of this 
     bill so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House floor 
     for consideration.
       The Judiciary Committee takes this action with our mutual 
     understanding that by foregoing consideration of H.R. 2 at 
     this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over subject 
     matter contained in this or similar legislation and that our 
     committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as 
     this bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may 
     address any remaining issues in our jurisdiction. Our 
     committee also reserves the right to seek appointment of an 
     appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate 
     conference involving this or similar legislation and asks 
     that you support any such request.
       I would appreciate a response to this letter confirming 
     this understanding with respect to H.R. 2 and would ask that 
     a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included 
     in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of 
     H.R. 2.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Bob Goodlatte,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                     Committee on Agriculture,

                                      Washington, DC, May 1, 2018.
     Hon. Bob Goodlatte,
     Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Goodlatte: Thank you for your letter 
     regarding H.R. 2. I appreciate your support in bringing this 
     legislation before the House of Representatives, and 
     accordingly, understand that the Committee on the Judiciary 
     will forego action on the bill.
       The Committee on Agriculture concurs in the mutual 
     understanding that by foregoing consideration of the bill at 
     this time, the Committee on the Judiciary does not waive any 
     jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this bill 
     or similar legislation in the future. In addition, should a 
     conference on this bill be necessary, I would support your 
     request to have the Committee on the Judiciary represented on 
     the conference committee.
       I will insert copies of this exchange in the Congressional 
     Record during Floor consideration. I appreciate your 
     cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward to 
     continuing to work the Committee on the Judiciary as this 
     bill moves through the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                               K. Michael Conaway,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

         Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of 
           Representatives, Washington DC.
                                                      May 2, 2018.
     Hon. K. Michael Conaway,
     Chairman, Committee on Agriculture,
     Washington, DC.
       I write concerning H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition 
     Act of 2018. This legislation includes matters that fall 
     within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure.
       I recognize and appreciate your desire to bring this 
     legislation before the House of Representatives in an 
     expeditious manner, and accordingly, the Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure will forego action on the 
     bill. However, this is conditional on our mutual 
     understanding that foregoing consideration of the bill does 
     not prejudice the Committee with respect to the appointment 
     of conferees or to any future jurisdictional claim over the 
     subject matters contained in the bill or similar legislation 
     that fall within the Committee's Rule X jurisdiction. Lastly, 
     should a conference on the bill be necessary, I request your 
     support for the appointment of conferees from the Committee 
     on Transportation and Infrastructure during any House-Senate 
     conference convened on this or related legislation.
       I would ask that a copy of this letter and your response 
     acknowledging our jurisdictional interest as well as the 
     mutually agreed upon changes to be incorporated into the bill 
     be included in the Congressional Record during consideration 
     of the measure on the House floor, to memorialize our 
     understanding.
       I look forward to working with the Committee on Agriculture 
     as the bill moves through the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Bill Shuster,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                     Committee on Agriculture,

                                      Washington, DC, May 2, 2018.
     Hon. Bill Shuster,
     Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Shuster: Thank you for your letter regarding 
     H.R. 2, Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018. I appreciate 
     your support in bringing this legislation before the House of 
     Representatives, and accordingly, understand that the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will forego 
     action on the bill.
       The Committee on Agriculture concurs in the mutual 
     understanding that by foregoing consideration of the bill at 
     this time, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
     does not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter 
     contained in this bill or similar legislation in the future. 
     In addition, should a conference on this bill be necessary, I 
     would support your request to have the Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure represented on the 
     conference committee.
       I will insert copies of this exchange in the Congressional 
     Record during Floor consideration. I appreciate your 
     cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward to 
     continuing to work the Committee on Transportation and 
     Infrastructure as this bill moves through the legislative 
     process.
           Sincerely,
                                               K. Michael Conaway,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

         House of Representatives, Committee on Education and the 
           Workforce,
                                      Washington, DC, May 2, 2018.
     Hon. K. Michael Conaway,
     Chairman, Committee on Agriculture,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: I write to confirm our mutual 
     understanding with respect to H.R. 2, the Agriculture and 
     Nutrition Act of 2018. Thank you for consulting with the 
     Committee on Education and the Workforce with regard to H.R. 
     2 on those matters within my committee's jurisdiction, 
     including provisions relating to workplace safety, work 
     requirements, and child nutrition.
       The Committee on Education and the Workforce will not delay 
     further consideration of this bill. However, I do so only 
     with

[[Page H4048]]

     the understanding this procedural route will not be construed 
     to prejudice my committee's jurisdictional interest and 
     prerogatives on this bill or any other similar legislation 
     and will not be considered as precedent for consideration of 
     matters of jurisdictional interest to my committee in the 
     future.
       I respectfully request your support for the appointment of 
     outside conferees from the Committee on Education and the 
     Workforce should this bill or a similar bill be considered in 
     a conference with the Senate. I also request you include our 
     exchange of letters on this matter in the Committee Report 
     for H.R. 2. Thank you for your attention to these matters.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Virginia Foxx,
     Chairwoman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                     Committee on Agriculture,

                                      Washington, DC, May 2, 2018.
     Hon. Virginia Foxx,
     Chairwoman, Committee on Education and Workforce, Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Chairwoman Foxx: Thank you for your letter regarding 
     H.R. 2, Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018. I appreciate 
     your support in bringing this legislation before the House of 
     Representatives, and accordingly, understand that the 
     Committee on Education and Workforce will forego action on 
     the bill.
       The Committee on Agriculture concurs in the mutual 
     understanding that by foregoing consideration of the bill at 
     this time, the Committee on Education and Workforce does not 
     waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in 
     this bill or similar legislation in the future. In addition, 
     should a conference on this bill be necessary, I would 
     support your request to have the Committee on Education and 
     Workforce represented on the conference committee.
       I will insert copies of this exchange in the Congressional 
     Record during Floor consideration. I appreciate your 
     cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward to 
     continuing to work the Committee on Education and Workforce 
     as this bill moves through the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                               K. Michael Conaway,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                     Washington, DC, May 15, 2018.
     Hon. Michael K. Conaway,
     Chairman, House Agriculture Committee, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: I write to confirm our mutual 
     understanding regarding H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition 
     Act of 2018, which contains substantial matter that falls 
     within the Rule X legislative jurisdiction of the Foreign 
     Affairs Committee. I appreciate the consultation and 
     cooperation between our committees, both before and after 
     your markup of that bill.
       Based on that cooperation and our associated 
     understandings, and in order to expedite House consideration, 
     the Foreign Affairs Committee agreed not to seek a sequential 
     referral of H.R. 2, with the understanding that that decision 
     in no way diminishes or alters the jurisdictional interests 
     of the Foreign Affairs Committee in that bill, any subsequent 
     amendments, or similar legislation. I respectfully request 
     your support for the appointment of House Foreign Affairs 
     conferees during any House-Senate conference on this 
     legislation.
       Finally, I respectfully request that you include this 
     letter and your response in the Congressional Record during 
     consideration of H.R. 2 on the House floor.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Edward R. Royce,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                     Committee on Agriculture,

                                     Washington, DC, May 15, 2018.
     Hon. Ed Royce,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Royce: Thank you for your letter regarding 
     H.R. 2, Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018. I appreciate 
     your support in bringing this legislation before the House of 
     Representatives, and accordingly, understand that the 
     Committee on Foreign Affairs will forego action on the bill.
       The Committee on Agriculture concurs in the mutual 
     understanding that by foregoing consideration of the bill at 
     this time, the Committee on Foreign Affairs does not waive 
     any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this 
     bill or similar legislation in the future. In addition, 
     should a conference on this bill be necessary, I would 
     support your request to have the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
     represented on the conference committee.
       I will insert copies of this exchange in the Congressional 
     Record during Floor consideration. I appreciate your 
     cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward to 
     continuing to work the Committee on Foreign Affairs as this 
     bill moves through the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                               K. Michael Conaway,
                                                         Chairman.

                              {time}  1700

  Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2, the Agriculture and 
Nutrition Act of 2018. H.R. 2 is not a work product that I am proud of 
because it is not one that I or my Democratic colleagues had much of a 
role in producing.
  More than that though, I am opposed to H.R. 2 today because it is 
simply not good enough for American farmers, consumers, or rural 
advocates. H.R. 2 fails our farmers. The bill does not improve the 
safety-net programs farmers need to manage a troubled farm economy. It 
fails to make needed increases to reference prices under the PLC 
program to address the 52 percent drop in national farm income.
  It neglects repeated requests to increase funding for trade promotion 
to help strengthen overseas markets in response to this 
administration's actions on trade and renewable fuels.
  H.R. 2 fails our Nation's hungry. While I agree that there are 
changes that need to be made in the SNAP program, this is so clearly 
not the way to do it. The bill cuts more than $23 billion in SNAP 
benefits and will result in an estimated 2 million Americans being 
unable to get help that they need.
  Within the nutrition title, the bill turns around and wastes billions 
that the majority cut from SNAP benefits to create a massive, untested 
workforce training bureaucracy.
  H.R. 2 fails our conservation goals by reducing the Federal funding 
for our voluntary conservation programs by almost $800 million. It 
fails our next generation. It lacks mandatory funding for scholarships 
at 1890 land grants. It underfunds our programs for beginning farmers, 
and outreach to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.
  H.R. 2, also fails our energy independence goals. Aside from 
eliminating the entire energy title, the bill hobbles renewable energy 
and energy efficiency efforts in rural communities by eliminating 
funding for the Rural Energy for America Program.
  H.R. 2 fails the farmers, rural advocates, and consumers that we are 
here to represent on all of these fronts. But what is so incredibly 
frustrating for me is, the failure of this process.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Chairman, I would simply say for the record that all 
of the bill was negotiated--except for the SNAP title--in good faith 
with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Not once did they 
mention anything on many of these issues that were just brought up, but 
we did have an agreement on those non-SNAP titles. It was a SNAP title, 
quite frankly, that caused the rift.
  Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Thompson), my colleague, the chairman of the Nutrition Subcommittee.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman of the 
Agriculture Committee so much for yielding, and for his tireless work 
on this important legislation in order to support rural America and our 
most vulnerable.
  Over the past 3 years, the Agriculture Committee has spent countless 
hours talking with constituents, performing outreach, and holding 
hearings with stakeholders to see how we can improve upon the 2014 farm 
bill.
  Contrary to the claims of some, this legislation was not created in 
the dead of night or without input from my friends across the aisle.
  Mr. Chairman, I have before me a letter that was sent to Chairman 
Conaway and Ranking Member Peterson with priorities identified by the 
Democratic Members that I am proud to serve with on the Agriculture 
Committee. I am proud to see--under nutrition specifically--all of 
these, and I believe all of these titles, these priorities were 
incorporated into the farm bill.
  Over this 3-year period, we held 21 hearings and heard from 81 
witnesses at the Nutrition Subcommittee alone. Members of the 
Agriculture Committee traveled to every corner of the country to 
participate in listening sessions and obtain vital input from our 
farmers, our ranchers, and our growers.
  As the farm bill was in development at the committee, every Member 
had the opportunity to provide input and that input was considered 
during this process. Yet, even with an open process, no amendments were 
offered during the committee markup by my

[[Page H4049]]

friends across the aisle. That is an opportunity for refinement, as is 
being on the House floor an opportunity for refinement.
  From voluntary insurance programs, to conservation in rural 
development programs, to agriculture research, H.R. 2 contains critical 
supports for our Nation's farmers, ranchers, and rural America.
  On the farm side, I am especially pleased with the continued reforms 
to the Margin Protection Program for Dairy, as well as the forestry 
provisions in title VIII. Now, while I could go on about all of these 
good policies contained in H.R. 2, this legislation ultimately is about 
supporting American food--both on the farm, and on the consumer side.
  Food is a national security issue. And whether we realize it or not, 
every American shakes hands with a farmer at least three times a day. 
As chairman of the Nutrition Subcommittee, I am proud that we maintain 
nutrition assistance for our most vulnerable through the Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program. Approximately 65 percent of these dollars 
directly provide food to children, the elderly, and persons with 
disabilities who rely on benefits of SNAP when times get tough.
  H.R. 2 also does make historic changes to SNAP by providing new job 
opportunities for work-capable adults. This bill does this by 
reinvesting significant dollars within our budget into education and 
training programs.
  By providing the States the increased resources to do this, every 
work-capable SNAP recipient will be guaranteed a slot in a job-training 
program, leading to ultimate food security. By doing this, we can help 
folks elect a pathway to long-term employment, self-sufficiency, and a 
way out of poverty.
  Mr. Chair, I ask that Members support H.R. 2.
  Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Chair, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr.  David Scott).
  Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, let me make it very clear 
at the very beginning, that this is a racist farm bill. Make no mistake 
about it.
  The good Lord said: Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make 
you free. And the truth is that this is, unfortunately, a racist farm 
bill. Let me tell you why.
  After the Civil War when the South was utterly destroyed, they 
established land-grant colleges, and then 30 years later, because there 
was so much struggle without adequate freedom for my people--African 
Americans--they established the 1890 land-grant colleges because they 
had Plessy v. Ferguson, the separate but equal doctrine. Yeah, they 
were separated already, but never equal.
  These 1890 colleges have never gotten the financial support that they 
have needed to even come close to the White 1860s that were there. And 
so we tried to make amends in this farm bill to come up with a very 
noble idea. With the shortage of younger people not going into 
agriculture, not going into science and technology and research to feed 
the future, we established scholarships to go to the 1890s.
  But you know what? When they took our bill, put it into the farm 
bill, they took the money out--just like they did back in the 1890s. 
Black people in this country have suffered too long, and we need to put 
a stop to it. I am here. I know that this House will not put the money 
back in. It was just $1 million a year for each of the 5 years to try 
to get people in. And these land grants knew.
  The CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Every Black man does not necessarily want 
to play football or basketball. They want to feed the future. This is a 
terrible bill.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman is no longer recognized.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. * * *
  The CHAIR. The gentleman is no longer recognized.
  Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. * * *
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Chair, I would like to recognize the fact that this 
brand-spanking-new program that never had any funding is authorized in 
the bill for discretionary spending to create the scholarship program 
that has just been referenced. There was no money taken out of the 
bill, because there was never any money in the program.
  We simply recognized the need and we set that program up in place as 
a direct result of the gentleman's passionate plea for a scholarship 
program.
  Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King).
  Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the yielding and the 
work that has been put in to get this farm bill together.
  First thing that I am happy about, it has the protect interstate 
commerce language in it, which passed in committee by simply a voice 
vote. It is well-established. It protects and preserves the commerce 
clause. We can't have States regulating interstate commerce. That 
violates the commerce clause. This restores it. That is item number 
one.
  Item number two, in title I, we have in the bill that we protect the 
PLC program. We improve and protect the ARC program, and we protect the 
crop insurance. All of that keeps our families on the farm, and if we 
don't have that, market fluctuations take them off.
  We have also increased funding for the MAP program, Market Access 
Program, and for the Foreign Market Development Program. We have got 
another FMD program too, and that is the vaccine bank that is in this 
bill.
  Putting work into the SNAP program is an important component. All 
work has dignity. All work has honor. It is a good start for what we 
need to do to get a lot better turnout of what goes on with our welfare 
programs.
  Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman for putting this bill together here 
on this floor today.
  Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Chair, I am now pleased to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Fudge).
  Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman so very much for the fight 
he put up during this process.
  Mr. Chair, I stand today with my Democratic colleagues fighting for 
the very soul of America. Inscribed on the Statue of Liberty are these 
words:

     Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning 
           to breathe free,
     The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
     Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
     I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

  We have lost our way, Mr. Chair. There is no longer a lamp, nor a 
golden door. And if we fail to protect the weak, the frail, the poor, 
the children, the seniors, and the disabled, we have lost our soul. We 
no longer live up to the promise of America and the true meaning of our 
creed.
  Mr. Chair, it is just cruel to American families and food producers, 
those who rely on farm bill programs, to put them at risk, only to 
carry out a hateful, demeaning, and mean-spirited partisan agenda. It 
is dishonest to promote the idea that SNAP recipients are undeserving; 
that we are lazy.
  Sixty-five percent of our SNAP recipients cannot work. They are 
children, seniors, and disabled. And most of the others do work--some 
of them in the very building in which we stand today.
  Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues: What have poor children ever done to 
you? What have seniors done to you? What have the disabled ever done to 
you? Republicans are paying for the $2 trillion debt they created in 
the tax bill on the backs of the poor. It is just sad, Mr. Chair. 
Really, really sad.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Bost).
  Mr. BOST. Mr. Chairman, I hear from my constituents in southern 
Illinois that rural America is hurting. That is why we need the farm 
bill, to address the concerns facing agriculture all over rural 
America.
  The farm bill does just that. The farm bill protects the farm safety 
net, including commodity programs and crop insurance, invests in rural 
broadband, modernizes FSA loan programs for new and beginning farmers 
and ranchers, and invests in conservation.
  President Eisenhower once said: ``Farming looks mighty easy when your 
plow is a pencil and you're 1,000 miles from a corn field.'' Those 
words hold true today, and that is why this bill was crafted with those 
farmers in mind, because farmers are everyone's bread and butter.

[[Page H4050]]

  The CHAIR. The Committee will rise informally.
  The Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Bost) assumed the chair.

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