[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 81 (Thursday, May 17, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H4188-H4199]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 900 and rule 
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House 
on the state of the Union for the further consideration of the bill, 
H.R. 2.
  Will the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson) kindly resume the chair.

                              {time}  1632


                     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 further 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. Simpson 
(Acting Chair) in the chair.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The Acting CHAIR. When the Committee of the Whole rose earlier today, 
a request for a recorded vote on amendment No. 8 printed in House 
Report 115-679 offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. 
McClintock) had been postponed.


               Amendment No. 7 Offered by Mr. Fortenberry

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 7 
printed in House Report 115-679.
  Mr. FORTENBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 187, after line 10, insert the following (and 
     redesignate the subsequent subsections accordingly):
       (a) Statement of Policy.--
       (1) In general.--It is in the national interests of the 
     United States to advance food security in developing 
     countries and open new markets for agricultural trade through 
     programs that leverage the unique capabilities of Federal 
     departments and agencies, and improve coordination between 
     donors, beneficiaries, and the private sector.
       (2) Role of department of agriculture.--The Department of 
     Agriculture plays an important role in establishing trade 
     between the United States and other nations and should 
     enhance its role in facilitating the transfer of the 
     knowledge, skills, and experience of American farmers, land-
     grant universities, and extension services through the

[[Page H4189]]

     John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-To-Farmer Program 
     under title V of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1737).
       Page 187, strike lines 11 through 14 and insert the 
     following:
       (b) Clarification of Nature of Assistance.--Section 
     501(b)(1) of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1737(b) is 
     amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1) by inserting ``technical'' before 
     ``assistance''; and
       (2) in paragraph (2)(A)--
       (A) by striking ``; and'' at the end of clause (viii); and
       (B) by striking clause (ix) and inserting the following:
       ``(ix) agricultural education and extension;
       ``(x) selection of seed varieties and plant stocks;
       ``(xi) knowledge of insecticide and sanitation procedures 
     to prevent crop destruction;
       ``(xii) use and maintenance of agricultural equipment and 
     irrigation systems; and
       ``(xiii) selection of fertilizers and methods of soils 
     treatment; and''.
       Page 189, after line 6, insert the following:
       (g) Crop Yields and Innovative Partnerships.--Section 501 
     of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1737) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:
       ``(f) Establishment of a Geographically Defied Crop Yield 
     Metrics.--The Secretary of Agriculture, in cooperation with 
     the Administrator of the Agency for International 
     Development, should--
       ``(1) establish a geographically defined crop yield metrics 
     system to assess improvements in crop yields in countries and 
     areas receiving assistance under this title; and
       ``(2) store the data resulting from such geographically 
     defined crop yield metrics system in a publicly available 
     Internet database system.
       ``(g) Grant Program to Create New Partners and 
     Innovation.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Administrator of the Agency for 
     International Development shall develop a grant program for 
     fiscal years 2019 through 2023 to facilitate new and 
     innovative partnerships and activities under this title.
       ``(2) Use of funds.--Grant recipients under this subsection 
     shall use such funds--
       ``(A) to prioritize new implementing partners;
       ``(B) on innovative volunteer models;
       ``(C) on strategic partnerships with other United States 
     development programs; and
       ``(D) on expanding the footprint and impact of the programs 
     and activities under this title, and diversity among program 
     participants, including land grant colleges or universities 
     and extension services.
       ``(h) Appropriations.--None of the amounts made available 
     to carry out this title may be used to carry out subsections 
     (f) and (g) of this section except to the extent that such 
     subsections are carried out using authorities otherwise 
     provided by this title.''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 900, the gentleman 
from Nebraska (Mr. Fortenberry) and a Member opposed each will control 
5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nebraska.
  Mr. FORTENBERRY. Mr. Chairman, first, let me thank my good friend 
Chairman Conaway for working with us on this very important amendment.
  Mr. Chair, I would like to share a story with you. I just got off the 
phone with Archie Devoor from Lincoln, Nebraska. Archie grew up as a 
dairy farmer. He started milking cows at 12 and, up at 12 a.m., got 
slapped in the face quite a lot with a wet tail. He put himself through 
college doing that and went on and earned a Ph.D. in dairy science.
  He did agricultural extension work for 20 years and became involved 
with a very important United States Government program called Farmer-
to-Farmer.
  One of Archie's experiences was in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has as many 
dairy cows as we do in the United States, and we have 12 times the 
production capacity as they do.
  Through Archie's work, through the techniques that he has provided 
them, particularly nutrition guidance, he has helped solve one of those 
problems that exists around the world with structural poverty and not 
enough to eat.
  In fact, the Bangladeshis wanted to name him ``Father of modern 
dairy.'' He is a humble man, my constituent, and I am proud of his 
work. And, of course, he refuses that title.
  Nonetheless, Mr. Chairman, the amendment before us today addresses 
this very important program. This program has connected volunteer 
American farmers, agriculture extension experts, and others with deep 
knowledge of agriculture production with farmers abroad as well as 
agricultural experts from American universities to other countries 
around the globe.
  The sharing of America's agricultural expertise dramatically enhances 
the capacity of people elsewhere to grow their own food.
  Really, Mr. Chairman, this initiative is about three things. It is 
about the richness of America's farm experience. It is about an engine 
of economic regeneration in the fight against structural global 
poverty. And it also, I believe, will enhance our 21st century 
architecture of emerging diplomatic relations.
  This program was initially authorized in 1985, and it has been in 
subsequent farm bills and, again, has promoted sustainable economic 
growth, food security, and agricultural development worldwide.
  All 50 States have been represented in volunteer trips overseas to 
assist farmers, and specialists from a variety of agricultural 
disciplines have taught host-country farmers in over 100 nations 
through coordination with 12,000 different local host organizations.
  The growth of the program has fostered community ecosystems of 
sustainable agriculture. It has enhanced the ability to access new 
markets and conserved environmental and natural resources. The work of 
our American farmers has borne great fruit overseas, and, with some 
innovative rethinking, I think we can help fully realize this program's 
potential.
  This amendment serves three critical objectives.
  First, it elevates the role of the United States Department of 
Agriculture in coordinating sequencing and prioritizing farmer visits 
to host countries.
  Second, it establishes geographically defined crop yield metrics, a 
system to assess whether improvements in crop yields in countries 
receiving our assistance are actually occurring.
  Third, the data generated through this new metric will be available 
publicly.
  It is important to note that the amendment enhances outreach to 
identify and prioritize new implementing partners, increases the 
diversity of program participants, and serves to expand recruitment of 
new volunteers from diverse agricultural knowledge and skill 
backgrounds.
  Mr. Chairman, I believe this amendment will also better support our 
work in global food security programs that already exist and have wide 
congressional backing. We have an important moment here to renew, 
innovate, and modernize a very good program.
  Mr. Chair, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Conaway).
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the gentleman's 
amendment.
  This actually is America at her best. It is taking American 
expertise, going people-to-people across this world, and sharing the 
great techniques we are developing here. And while that might make 
those host countries a little more competitive with our production of 
agriculture here in America, it is the right thing to do.
  Mr. Chair, I support the amendment, and I appreciate Mr. 
Fortenberry's dedication not only to this specific issue but his 
broader work across the international arena that he has shown his 
expertise in.
  Mr. FORTENBERRY. Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman for his comments, 
and I yield back the balance of my time
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Fortenberry).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                Amendment No. 9 Offered by Mr. MacArthur

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 9 
printed in House Report 115-679.
  Mr. MacARTHUR. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Page 247, line 23, strike ``(I)'' and insert ``(J)''.
       Page 256, line 13, strike the close quotation marks and the 
     comma at the end.
       Page 256, after line 13, insert the following:
       ``(I) Household ineligibilty.--If an individual becomes 
     ineligible to participate in the supplemental nutrition 
     assistance program as a household member due to failure to 
     meet the requirements under subparagraph (B), the remaining 
     household members (including children), shall not become 
     ineligible to apply to participate in the supplemental 
     nutrition assistance program due to such individual's 
     ineligibility.''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 900, the gentleman

[[Page H4190]]

from New Jersey (Mr. MacArthur) and a Member opposed each will control 
5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
  Mr. MacARTHUR. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman of the 
Agriculture Committee for his help and support and for crafting a farm 
bill that I think will benefit a great many Americans.
  Mr. Chair, this bill benefits both farmers and consumers across the 
country. Even in a densely populated State like mine, New Jersey, the 
most densely populated State in the Nation, I have over 800 family 
farms that will benefit from this bill.
  I have cranberry and blueberry growers that will benefit from 
specialty crop grants. Our main State university, Rutgers, will benefit 
from research grants. There are crop insurance provisions, conservation 
measures, things that will benefit all of us.
  But let's face it: the most controversial part of this bill, or at 
least one of the most controversial parts, has been the Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP.
  Of the $867 billion of authorized spending over the next 10 years, 
$664 billion, or more than 75 percent, is for this one program.
  This has been bipartisan, up until now at least. It has always been 
that the Federal Government would partner with States to help the most 
vulnerable people in the Nation, and, at the same time, we would help 
those people towards self-sufficiency, help them prepare to enter the 
workforce so that they can have the dignity that comes with a job. I 
think every American deserves this.
  We have always balanced both compassion and individual 
responsibility, and I think this bill goes a long way to continuing in 
that tradition.
  My amendment is about children. It is imperative, as we continue this 
balance, that no child gets caught up, even unintentionally, in 
something harmful. No child can go to school on an empty stomach and 
learn, and no child should have to come home from school and wonder 
where their next meal is coming from.
  There is a lot in this bill already that protects children. I 
recognize that. I recognize that the committee has been very attentive 
to this. My amendment goes a little farther and makes it explicitly 
clear to those who administer the SNAP programs around the country that 
children cannot be harmed in any way.
  I will read the relevant part of the amendment. It says: ``If an 
individual becomes ineligible to participate in the Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program as a household member due to failure to 
meet the requirements under subparagraph (B), the remaining household 
members (including children), shall not become ineligible to apply to 
participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program due to 
such individual's ineligibility.''
  In other words, kids are off limits.
  Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of the amendment, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the 
amendment even though I am not opposed to it.
  The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman from Massachusetts 
is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chair, I do want to say a few words, and that is, I 
am trying to understand this amendment, because I really don't 
understand the point of it.
  Under current law, children can still get SNAP even if their parents 
fail to comply with work requirements. That is the current law. H.R. 2, 
the farm bill, does nothing to change this, so I am unsure why this 
amendment has been offered.
  I think I would classify this amendment as a covering-your-rear-end 
amendment, because the bottom line is that there is a lot in H.R. 2 
that I think does harm to children, because when their parents are 
thrown off of SNAP, while they may not be thrown off of SNAP, the 
overall household allowance for food gets decreased, and so there is 
less food for the entire family.
  I would say that if the majority really cared about the impact H.R. 2 
would have on children, then they would address the changes that have 
been made in broad-based categorical eligibility, which will throw 
working parents off of SNAP.
  According to CBO, the nonpartisan experts that we rely on to give us 
data, over 265,000 students will lose access to free school meals.
  So there is nothing to be opposed to, I guess, because this is 
already current law. But I would say to the gentleman that broad-based 
categorical eligibility, the changes in this bill, are going to 
adversely impact a number of individuals in New Jersey.
  With that alone, 35,000 individuals are going to lose their SNAP 
benefits. That is just on this one part of the bill. Many of them have 
kids, and the changes are going to affect these kids.
  So, if you really care about these kids, I would urge you to reject 
this bill. Send it back to the Agriculture Committee. Let's work in a 
bipartisan way and construct a nutrition title which everybody 
understands, which is clear, which has been vetted, and which we can 
come to the floor and say with certainty that it will not adversely 
impact kids. Because this underlying bill, no matter how you want to 
slice and dice it, will have a negative impact on kids.

                              {time}  1645

  And this amendment, you go home and maybe do a press release on it, 
but it doesn't change the impact of this bill.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MacARTHUR. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Chairman, I regret my friend's confusion over what it does, but, 
as he well knows, we pass sometimes this much law and those who 
implement that pass this much, in terms of how it actually gets played 
out.
  This amendment makes it explicitly clear to those who administer the 
SNAP program that children must be held harmless, they must be 
protected.
  On top of that, the underlying bill also stops family sanctioning.
  So you can call it a belt-and-suspenders approach, but, when it comes 
to children, I think it is worth making it as crystal-clear as possible 
that they cannot be harmed.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Rodney Davis).
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding to me.
  Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the gentleman's amendment.
  Much to the chagrin of many who just oppose any changes to actually 
help us get children out of poverty and out of the cycle of poverty 
that perpetual SNAP benefits bring to families, I would argue that it 
is language like this that reasserts the fact that we need to, as this 
goes through the legislative process--we are in the second step of the 
legislative process. As this goes through the process, this clearly 
shows all of us here in the House and in the Senate and on a conference 
committee the opportunity that we want to make sure that we protect 
those who need that protection.
  That is exactly why I am glad Mr. MacArthur participated in this 
process. The gentleman wanted to make this bill better. The gentleman 
wanted to strengthen it to ensure that our children in the most 
vulnerable households had the opportunity to get the food that they 
need.
  Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for doing that. I think this is a 
great addition to the farm bill, and I appreciate the gentleman 
yielding me this opportunity to say so.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Chairman, I am at a loss. We have no opposition to this 
amendment, but let's be honest with each other and let's be honest with 
our constituents. H.R. 2 will hurt families, will hurt working 
families, will hurt kids.
  You know one thing that is also explicit, Mr. Chairman? According to 
CBO, 265,000 kids will be thrown off of the free breakfast and lunch 
program. That is according to CBO.
  The other thing that is clear is that there are working families--
there are working families, Mr. Chairman, people who work, who now get 
SNAP benefits, who, because we are eliminating broad-based categorical 
eligibility, a number of them will lose their benefits. And they still 
work. Their family

[[Page H4191]]

households, therefore, will have less of a food allowance. That will 
impact these kids. That is undeniable.
  So don't sit here and say this shows that we are going to protect 
kids. The law is the law. If you want to restate the law, restate it. 
Restate it 100 times, ``don't hurt kids.'' That doesn't change the fact 
that this bill will hurt kids.
  That is why so many of us on this side of the aisle and, hopefully, a 
number of you on your side of the aisle are going to stand strong and 
oppose this.
  This is not right. There was a right way to do this farm bill, and 
there was a wrong way to do this farm bill. This was the wrong way.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MacARTHUR. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from New Jersey has 30 seconds 
remaining.
  Mr. MacARTHUR. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson), my friend.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding to me.
  Mr. Chairman, we have heard about broad-based categorical 
eligibility. If this was a SNAP brochure, Mr. Chairman, and I hand this 
to you, regardless of what your income is, if you accept this SNAP 
brochure, you are now eligible for SNAP. That is broad-based 
categorical eligibility.
  Mr. Chairman, if somebody offers you an 800 number to call regarding 
SNAP, which is a good thing, as is the brochure, and you use that 
number, under broad-based categorical eligibility, you are now eligible 
for SNAP, no matter what your income is.
  So, if it has been found that some families will come off, it is 
because it has been found that there are families who already exceed 
the income.
  Now, here is the thing. If they just go and fill out the application, 
they can be eligible for SNAP if they meet those financial and asset 
requirements.
  Mr. MacARTHUR. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have left.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Massachusetts has 1 minute 
remaining.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, the CBO, the nonpartisan experts that we 
all rely on, says that over 400,000 households will lose their benefits 
because of the changes in H.R. 2 with regard to categorical 
eligibility. We estimate that to be a million people. That is 
undeniable.
  So you can sit here all you want and say this is going to hold 
everybody harmless and that kids won't suffer. It is just not true. I 
mean, read the CBO score. Better yet, read the bill.
  Look, we have no objection to you passing a restatement of current 
law, because current law says that, even if parents don't comply, their 
kids can't be punished. But make no mistake about it, the overall food 
allowance in that household will decrease. That is a fact. That will 
impact those kids.
  So, if you truly want to help kids, if you truly care about kids, you 
will vote ``no'' on this bill. You will vote ``no'' on H.R. 2.
  You will make sure that this bill goes back to committee, that we 
have a bipartisan process, and we have a bill that comes to the floor 
that helps our farmers and that helps those in need in this country.
  This is not it. This does not help kids. This amendment does nothing. 
This is a covering-your-rear-end amendment.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. MacArthur).
  The amendment was agreed to.
  The Acting Chair. The Chair understands that amendment No. 10 will 
not be offered.


                Amendment No. 11 Offered by Mr. Holding

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 11 
printed in House Report 115-679.
  Mr. HOLDING. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of subtitle A of title IV, insert the following:

     SEC. __. DISQUALIFICATION OF CERTAIN CONVICTED FELONS.

       Section 6 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
     2015), as amended by section 4015, is amended in subsection 
     (p)(1)--
       (1) in subparagraph (A) by striking ``: and'' at the end 
     and inserting a period, and
       (2) by striking subparagraph (B).

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 900, the gentleman 
from North Carolina (Mr. Holding) and a Member opposed each will 
control 5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.
  Mr. HOLDING. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment, 
and I urge all colleagues to support its inclusion in the farm bill 
today.
  Mr. Chairman, the amendment is simple. It ends eligibility for the 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for convicted rapists, 
murderers, and those guilty of sexual exploitation.
  The 2014 farm bill contained a prohibition for these individuals from 
being eligible for SNAP, but the individual also has to be considered a 
fleeing felon. This means that, in order to lose eligibility, the 
person has to not only be a convicted murderer, rapist, et cetera, but 
they also must be in violation of the terms of their sentence.
  Mr. Chairman, I believe we should not have to wait before a criminal 
who has already been convicted of these acts violates the terms of 
their sentence before terminating the benefits.
  Mr. Chairman, this amendment would eliminate the fleeing felon 
provision from the underlying law and thereby prohibits convicted 
rapists, pedophiles, murderers, et cetera, from being eligible for 
SNAP.
  This is a commonsense proposal that says if you commit these 
atrocious crimes that you are ineligible for this government program.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge all of my colleagues to vote for this 
commonsense amendment and include it in the farm bill that we have 
under consideration.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Holding).
  The amendment was agreed to.


     Amendment No. 12 Offered by Miss Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 12 
printed in House Report 115-679.
  Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment 
to H.R. 2 at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of subtitle A of title IV, insert the following:

     SEC. __. DETERMINATION OF AMOUNT OF BLOCK GRANT PAYABLE TO 
                   PUERTO RICO.

       (a) Study.--With funds appropriated to carry out this 
     subsection, the Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct a 
     study to determine the feasibility and impact of using a 
     thrifty food plan developed exclusively to apply under 
     section 19(a)(2)(A)(ii) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
     (7 U.S.C. 2028(a)(2)(A)) to calculate the amount of the block 
     grant payable to Puerto Rico.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out 
     subsection (a).
       (c) Appropriation in Advance.--Only funds appropriated 
     under subsection (b) in advance specifically to carry out 
     subsection (a) shall be available to carry out such 
     subsection.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 900, the gentlewoman 
from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon) and a Member opposed each will 
control 5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico.
  Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment to H.R. 2.
  Mr. Chairman, this amendment aims to take a deeper look into the 
Thrifty Food Plan and how it influences the amount of funds currently 
calculated for Nutrition Assistance Block Grants provided to Puerto 
Rico through the Nutrition Assistance Program, NAP.
  Puerto Rico is currently included in the Thrifty Food Plan of the 48 
contiguous States. However, the island imports most food items that are 
sold in stores, which increases the cost families pay when purchasing 
foods included in their diet.

[[Page H4192]]

  Mr. Chairman, my amendment will require the Secretary of Agriculture 
to produce a report on the feasibility and impact of Puerto Rico having 
its own Thrifty Food Plan. This will allow the government of Puerto 
Rico and the Department of Family, which administers the program on the 
island, to make an educated decision on how to move forward in terms of 
acquiring benefits and addressing factors that reflect increases in the 
cost of food items found and purchased on the island.
  My second amendment will request the Secretary of Agriculture to 
produce an update on a 2010 report previously generated by the Food and 
Nutrition Service Agency at the USDA. That report will indicate the 
percentage of households that will receive nutritional assistance and 
what the average monthly benefit per household would be if Puerto Rico 
were treated equally under the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance 
Program, SNAP.
  As approved by the 2014 farm bill, Puerto Rico's cash portion of 
benefits obtained through NAP will gradually be reduced by 5 percent 
each year until 2021--right now, that measure is waived by this 
administration because of the hurricane--when all NAP benefits will be 
then available through the electronic benefit transfer system.
  In view of this and in preparation for this, we must start 
considering if a transition to SNAP is feasible or not and, if so, what 
it would mean for my constituency in terms of benefits and 
requirements. An updated study will allow us to have recent data to 
properly consider making this decision along with the government of 
Puerto Rico and the Federal Government.
  Mr. Chairman, my amendments essentially seek better facts and better 
data on the nutritional benefits my constituents receive and depend on. 
For many families on the island, this is the main source of nutritional 
assistance.
  As Puerto Rico's sole Representative here in Congress, it is my 
responsibility to make sure that we have the tools and information we 
need at hand to collaborate with State officials and make those 
decisions that will continue to help families on the island maintain 
proper access to a quality diet and, therefore, a proper quality of 
life.
  Mr. Chairman, decisions that are this important and delicate should 
not be subjected to guesswork but based on updated facts, and my two 
amendments will do that.
  Mr. Chairman, I also want to share that these amendments, as drafted, 
do not increase mandatory spending.
  And, last, I would like to urge my colleagues to support these two 
amendments, and I want to thank the chairman of the Agriculture 
Committee for helping me out in drafting my amendments and helping the 
people of Puerto Rico.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                  Amendment No. 13 Offered by Mr. Faso

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 13 
printed in House Report 115-679.
  Mr. FASO. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk made in order 
by the rule.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of subtitle A of title IV, insert the following:

     SEC. __. ADMINISTRATIVE FLEXIBILITY FOR STATES.

       Section 11(e)(6)(B) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
     (7 U.S.C. 2020(e)(6)(B)) is amended to read as follows:
       ``(B) personnel of the State agency or, at the option of 
     the State agency and by contract with the State agency, 
     personnel of an entity that has no direct or indirect 
     financial interest in an approved retail food store, may 
     undertake such certification or carry out any other function 
     of the State agency under the supplemental nutrition 
     assistance program and without restriction by the Secretary 
     on the State agency's use of nongovernmental employees to 
     perform program eligibility or any other administrative 
     function to carry out such program;''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 900, the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Faso) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. FASO. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer my amendment, which 
would provide States additional flexibility to administer the 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
  If included in the farm bill, this amendment would provide States the 
option, not a mandate, to determine the appropriate mix of government 
staff and service provider staff for all administrative SNAP functions.
  It would build on existing SNAP administrator flexibility within 
employment and training programs as well as technology initiatives like 
electronic benefits transfer.
  This barrier, currently in the SNAP law dating from the 1970s, 
prevents the implementation of commonsense administrative solutions 
that include integrated call centers, leveraging investment to 
modernize programs, and incorporate best practices and the ability to 
address periodic peaks in enrollment activity that accompany times of 
economic distress.

                              {time}  1700

  Mr. Chairman, I know that at least a dozen Governors sent a letter to 
the leadership of the House and Senate today saying that States across 
the country have been calling for administrative flexibility to 
implement various government programs, and it is time that we provide 
each State the choice to decide what is best for them in their overall 
effectiveness in running these programs.
  Mr. Chairman, I would also like to thank my partners in this 
amendment, Representatives Hartzler, Poliquin, Marshall, and Goodlatte, 
who are supportive of this policy change.
  I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of this commonsense 
amendment and provide the States with added flexibility, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Massachusetts is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, I oppose this amendment. This proposal 
opens the door to sweeping changes in how States can operate SNAP. The 
amendment, which was never debated or discussed by the committee, could 
result in tens of thousands of American jobs being shipped overseas. I 
know Donald Trump wants to create more jobs in China, but I don't think 
we do.
  This risks good-paying civil service jobs and puts benefits and 
services to vulnerable households at risk. SNAP's merit system ensures 
workers' aim is to effectively implement program rules unhindered by 
private interests or profit motives. Some SNAP operational functions 
can be appropriately turned over to private contractors, such as 
computer systems, custodial services, or debit card issuance in order 
to leverage businesses' competitive advantage.
  Some, however, like eligibility determination, must remain a 
government function. Some SNAP clients, including many elderly, have 
very complex cases that require trained professional civil service 
workers to dedicate significant time to appropriately screen and verify 
their information, and ensure they receive the correct benefit levels, 
which is important.
  Good local jobs likely could be exported out of the area or overseas. 
In many areas, including rural regions, civil service jobs offer some 
of the best paying, most stable employment for local workers. 
Privatizing core SNAP functions would mean many of these jobs would be 
moved to other locations, including overseas. Why do we want to do 
that?
  Privatization could also compromise the security of a participant's 
data. SNAP collects detailed information about applicants and 
participants, including Social Security numbers, household composition 
and income, and employment information. Handing private data of 
millions of individuals over to private companies raises serious 
concerns about their ability to keep it secure, and their interest in 
using it for other purposes.
  I respect the gentleman's intentions, I guess, but I think if we had 
spent some time in the committee actually discussing this, some of 
these concerns that I raise would be apparent. So this is a bad idea, a 
bad amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

[[Page H4193]]

  

  Mr. FASO. Mr. Chairman, in response to the distinguished gentleman 
from Massachusetts' comments, I would simply suggest that what this 
amendment is trying to do is: number one, give the States the option to 
utilize modern management techniques in terms of the operation of the 
SNAP program. It is an option. It is not a mandate.
  Number two, I would point out that various programs such as TANF, and 
such as the Children's Health Insurance Program also have the ability 
to do precisely what I am suggesting in this amendment. This is not 
unusual. This is not sending jobs overseas. That is an absurd notion, I 
believe.
  The fact of the matter is, we are trying to make it possible for 
States to seamlessly run these programs, whether it is TANF, whether it 
is housing assistance, whether it is the Children's Health Insurance 
Program, or whether it is Medicaid. Those programs, States already have 
the option and already have the ability to use social service nonprofit 
organizations like Catholic Charities to assist them in eligibility 
determinations, to assist States in assisting recipients in getting 
into employment and training programs.
  So what this amendment is seeking to do is to eliminate the exclusion 
of that ability that is now only in the SNAP program. Mr. Chairman, it 
is only in the SNAP program that we exclude the opportunity for States 
to have these kind of abilities, to have these services performed by 
nonprofit organizations and by other providers that can efficiently and 
seamlessly coordinate the benefits and eligibility that exists for 
TANF, that exists for children's health insurance, that exists for a 
whole panoply of social services programs.
  Mr. Chairman, I regret the gentleman from Massachusetts' opposition 
to the amendment. I hope he would reconsider, given the fact that CHIP 
and all of these other programs--which the gentleman supports already--
permit doing precisely what I am suggesting here, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chair, how much time do I have remaining?
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Massachusetts has 2\1/2\ minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chair, I am not going to reconsider my opposition. 
I think this is a bad amendment, plain and simple. And I think the 
issues like determining eligibility for who can receive SNAP should not 
be contracted out to some private company. I do worry about creating 
more jobs overseas and losing very good jobs here at home.
  So if you are concerned about keeping good jobs--and these are good 
jobs, civil service jobs--here in the United States, then you have got 
to oppose this amendment.
  Shifting core SNAP functions to private workers could disrupt timely 
and accurate benefits. In H.R. 2, we are going after vulnerable 
populations in a very, very harsh way, and I think this would 
complicate things even worse.

  Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, let me thank the gentleman from 
Massachusetts for yielding.
  Let me very quickly say that my first statement is my opposition to 
this bill. I can't imagine the cut of $23 billion out of our food 
nutrition program, nor can I understand the breaching of the 
relationship between our support for farmers and our support for poor 
people.
  I appreciate my good friend, Mr. Faso, but I have to stand in strong 
opposition to his amendment which would authorize States to privatize 
and contract out program eligibility and other administrative 
functions.
  Mr. Chair, I come from Texas. We tried it. It was an enormous drain 
on the budget. It didn't work. It was costly. People lost their 
benefits. It is a terrible idea because removing SNAP's merit staffing 
requirement would prioritize profit, disrupt access to food assistance, 
and export good jobs.
  The SNAP merit system ensures that an employee's core mission 
objective is to effectively implement program rules unhindered by 
private interests or profit motives. Many SNAP clients, including the 
elderly and disabled, have complex cases that require trained 
professional civil service workers to dedicate significant time.
  When these functions are turned over to for-profit companies, there 
is a different priority, Mr. Chairman. They focus on the bottom line 
rather than providing comprehensive support. Your constituents of this 
program are the elderly and children and disabled. In the early 2000s, 
Texas transferred most of the operational aspects of its eligibility 
determination system to a private contractor with disastrous results. 
Services deteriorated as backlogs and other inefficiencies increased. 
There were 127,000 children who were dropped from health insurance. I 
am opposed to this legislation. Let's do what is right, Mr. Chairman, 
for the children.
  Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to Amendment No. 13 offered by 
the gentleman from New York, Congressman Faso, which would authorize 
states to privatize and contract out program eligibility and other 
administrative functions.
  This is a terrible idea because removing SNAP's merit staffing 
requirement would prioritize profit, disrupt access to food assistance, 
and export good jobs.
  SNAP's merit system ensures that an employee's core mission objective 
is to effectively implement program rules unhindered by private 
interests or profit motives.
  Many SNAP clients, including the elderly and disabled, have complex 
cases that require trained, professional civil service workers to 
dedicate significant time to appropriately screen and verify their 
information and ensure they receive the correct benefit levels.
  When these functions are turned over to for-profit companies, they 
focus on the bottom line rather than providing comprehensive support to 
the needy.
  This is what we saw in Texas when the state experimented with 
privatization.
  In the early 2000's Texas transferred most of the operational aspects 
of its eligibility determination system to a private contractor with 
disastrous results.
  Services deteriorated as backlogs and other inefficiencies increased.
  The contractor's monthly abandoned call rate was four times higher 
than what was called for in the contract; more than 127,000 children 
were dropped from health insurance between December 2005 and April 
2006; and thousands of experienced state employees were laid off or 
quit and replaced by poorly trained, low-paid vendor employees.
  Former Texas Comptroller, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, after conducting 
an audit of the system, stated that the ``project has failed the state 
and the citizens it was designed to serve'' and called the 
privatization effort a ``perfect story of wasted tax dollars, reduced 
access to services and profiteering at taxpayers' expense.''
  Additionally, the Faso Amendment puts at risk good local jobs that 
likely could be exported out of the area or overseas.
  In many areas, including rural regions, civil service jobs offer some 
of the best-paying, most stable employment for local workers.
  Privatizing core SNAP functions would mean many of these jobs would 
be moved to other locations, including overseas.
  Diminishing the pool of good jobs with steady hours and benefits 
could leave many out of work or with less stable options, hurting local 
economies.
  An added danger of privatization is that it could compromise the 
security of participants' data.
  SNAP collects detailed information about applicants and participants, 
including social security numbers, household composition, and income 
and employment information.
  Handing private data of millions of individuals over to private 
companies raises serious concerns about their ability to keep it secure 
and their interests in using it for other purposes.
  Shifting core SNAP functions to private workers could disrupt timely 
and accurate provision of benefits.
  During the early 2000's, Texas experimented with privatizing key 
pieces of the eligibility process, including accepting applications, 
advising clients on program requirements and eligibility, and verifying 
eligibility.
  The results were disastrous.
  Thousands were unable to apply or were given misinformation and many 
received incorrect benefit allotments.
  Individuals' private information was released, compromising their 
security.
  And taxpayer dollars were wasted--none of the promises of improved 
performance or cost-savings were realized.
  I urge all Members to join me in voting no to Amendment No. 13.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FASO. Mr. Chairman, to close on the amendment, let me reiterate. 
This amendment simply seeks to treat States' flexibility for SNAP the 
same

[[Page H4194]]

as it does, as current law does, for TANF, for a host of other social 
services programs, and for CHIP.
  I would also point out, in response to the gentleman from 
Massachusetts' concern, the States that do this for CHIP and use 
nonprofit organizations to assist them in eligibility and other 
determinations, explicitly prohibit the outsourcing of these jobs to 
foreign countries, and many even prohibit the outsourcing of any job 
out of State. So the gentleman raises a red herring that is not 
appropriate in this context, and should not be considered.
  This simply gives the States the flexibility to seamlessly manage the 
SNAP program and coordinate the benefits as they might have for home 
heating assistance, or they might have for CHIP, or they might have for 
TANF.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Faso).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from New York 
will be postponed.


            Amendment No. 14 Offered by Mr. Young of Alaska

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 14 
printed in House Report 115-679.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of subtitle A of title IV, insert the following:

     SEC. __. SERVICE OF TRADITIONAL FOODS IN PUBLIC FACILITIES.

       Section 4033 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (128 STAT. 
     818) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (c)--
       (A) by inserting ``, a State, a country equivalent, or a 
     local education agency,'' after ``programs'' the 1st place it 
     appears,
       (B) by striking `` and facilities operated by tribal 
     organizations, that primarily serve Indians'' and inserting 
     ``and federally funded child nutrition and senior meal 
     programs,'', and
       (2) in subsection (d)(1)--
       (A) by striking ``and'' the 1st place it appears, and
       (B) by inserting ``, a State, a county or county 
     equivalent, a local educational agency, and an entity or 
     person authorized to facilitate the donation, storage, 
     preparation, or serving of traditional food by the operator 
     of a food service program'' after ``organization''.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 900, the gentleman 
from Alaska (Mr. Young) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alaska.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, my amendment is simple. It is to 
make sure Alaska Natives and American Indian populations are able to 
access traditional foods in nutrition programs.
  Many American Indians and Alaska Natives incorporate traditional 
foods: fish, game, seafood, wild berries, and plants into their daily 
diets. These foods are locally sourced and culturally significant.
  The cultural significance of traditional foods is especially 
important in long-term care and hospital settings, where individuals 
are likely to be away from their homes for extended periods and are 
unable to easily carry on their traditions. It is likewise important 
for Native youth to have access to traditional foods for proper 
nutrition and cultural heritage.
  May I say, Mr. Chairman, when you are in a hospital you can recover 
faster if you have a traditional food. This amendment builds on a 
previous provision of mine in the 2014 farm bill that authorized 
donation and serving of traditional foods which meet the safety 
standards and in facilities that serve these indigenous populations.
  It applies to programs encompassing residential childcare, child 
nutrition programs, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and others. 
There have been no documented safety issues and the food handling and 
storage safety standards incorporated in my previous amendment are 
stringent. The standards were, in part, based on successful standards 
from Alaska which has long led the way for safety procedures for 
traditional foods.
  For years, this provision has led the way to safely offer traditional 
foods to the vulnerable populations that need it the most. My amendment 
maintains these standards.
  This amendment tonight, like the previous one, has no budgetary 
effects. That is for those who do not want to spend any more money. It 
simply works to ensure that Native American and Alaska Native youth and 
elders can participate in nutrition programs and access traditional 
foods, regardless of the facility in which the program is implemented.
  This is important, given that child nutrition and senior meal 
programs that serve a significant number of natives are sometimes 
housed in facilities that are not specifically designated as Tribal, 
and the legislation is truly focused on the importance of nutrition.
  This amendment should be heavily and heartily accepted and passed. I 
strongly urge adoption of this amendment. It is about nutrition, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Texas is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Chair, it is with great reluctance that I rise in 
opposition to the gentleman's amendment. If it were limited to just to 
Alaska, then that might be one thing, but the underlying language is 
too broad.
  It would allow this to happen across the United States, and I have 
some concerns about food safety with respect to that.
  I understand what he is trying to get at, and I agree with the intent 
in making that, but I reluctantly disagree, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
from Minnesota (Mr. Peterson), the ranking member of the Agriculture 
Committee.
  Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I have been to Alaska with Mr. Young a number of times and know the 
culture up there and what is going on. This is a good amendment. I 
think it makes a lot of sense for Alaska, and I support it. So I 
encourage my colleagues to support this amendment.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman. Again, I 
understand why the chairman is against this, but we have no cases where 
there has been any food hazards, food abuses, or anything like that. 
And I have to describe one thing to my colleagues.
  I am 85 years old. I am an Alaska Native. I have lived in one of the 
villages up north. My diet has consisted of seal meat, seal oil, whale 
meat, whale oil, and berries. I am an older man. I am in a hospital in 
Anchorage, Alaska, or I am in a long-term care facility to take care of 
me, and they serve me, of all things, a chicken, or they will serve me 
some salty Spam.

                              {time}  1715

  That is not too bad by the way.

       But things that will not make me well. And in my mind I 
     desire and my body craves what I have eaten during the 
     history of my life. And that keeps me weller. In fact, I 
     might be able to go home and be able to harvest those things 
     that I love.

  This is all I am trying to do in facilities. This is a good 
amendment. I know there has been opposition from some of the Federal 
agencies: Oh, this is a safety issue. Keep in mind, this is an issue 
that takes care of that person who is receiving that food.
  Mr. Chairman, I would urge a ``yes'' vote on this legislation. It 
should happen for those people, my Alaskan Natives. It is important.
  Mr. Chairman, I don't have any other speakers, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young).
  The amendment was agreed to.


     Amendment No. 15 Offered by Miss Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 15 
printed in House Report 115-679.
  Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment 
at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:


[[Page H4195]]


  

       At the end of subtitle A of title IV, insert the following:

     SEC. __. EXTENSION OF STUDY ON COMPARABLE ACCESS TO 
                   SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE FOR PUERTO 
                   RICO.

       (a) Amendments.--Section 4142 of the Food, Conservation, 
     and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-246; 122 STAT. 1881) 
     is amended--
       (1) in subsection (b) by striking ``this Act'' and 
     inserting ``Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018'', and
       (2) in subsection (d)(1) by striking ``2008'' and inserting 
     ``2018''.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out 
     section 4142 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 
     2008 (Public Law 110-246; 122 STAT. 1881) as amended by 
     subsection (a).
       (c) Appropriation in Advance.--Only funds appropriated 
     under subsection (b) in advance specifically to carry out 
     section 4142 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 
     2008 (Public Law 110-246; 122 STAT. 1881) as amended by 
     subsection (a) shall be available to carry out such section 
     as so amended.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 900, the gentlewoman 
from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon) and a Member opposed each will 
control 5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico.
  Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Chairman, I spoke about the 
two amendments before, so I am going to be brief now in speaking about 
this amendment, not without thanking Chairman Conaway for helping us 
out to get this amendment through.
  Amendment No. 15 will just request an update on the survey in the 
request of data for the island. This second amendment requests the 
Secretary of Agriculture to produce an update on the 2010 report 
previously generated by the Food and Nutrition Service Agency at the 
USDA. That report will indicate the percentage of households that will 
receive nutritional assistance and what the average monthly benefit to 
their household will be if Puerto Rico were treated equally under the 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP. We don't receive that.
  As approved in the 2014 farm bill, Puerto Rico's cash portion of the 
benefit obtained through the NAP program will gradually be reduced by 5 
percent each year through 2021. Of course, that situation, that 5 
percent reduction has been waived since last year by the administration 
because of the hurricane situation, but all NAP benefits would then be 
available through the electronic benefit transfer system, the EBT.
  In view and in preparation for this, we are beginning to consider the 
transition to SNAP, if it is feasible or not, and I do think it is 
feasible. So we are looking forward to having a report that will allow 
us to know what kind of benefits my constituents will be receiving.
  An updated study will allow us to have recent data to properly 
consider making this decision, along with the Government of Puerto 
Rico. My amendment will essentially seek better facts and better data 
on the nutritional benefits my constituents, the people of Puerto Rico, 
receive and depend on. For many families on the island, as you may 
know, this is the main source of nutritional assistance.
  I am the only representative of the people of Puerto Rico here and in 
the Senate, and it is my responsibility to make sure we receive that 
kind of data. The last time was in 2010. We are in 2018 without an 
update of that report.
  So we look forward to having the tools and information we need at 
hand to collaborate with State officials and the Federal Government to 
enable those families to continue to receive those kinds of services 
and the island to maintain a proper access to a quality diet and, 
therefore, a proper quality of life. Those decisions need to be made by 
updated facts and not subjected to guesswork by some officials.
  I do believe that this amendment, as drafted, does not increase 
mandatory spending, so it will require just data. That is what we need.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this 
amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                 Amendment No. 16 Offered by Mr. Biggs

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 16 
printed in House Report 115-679.
  Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Strike page 382, line 8, and all that follows through page 
     386, line 19, and insert the following:

     SEC. 6402. REPEAL OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BIOENERGY 
                   SUBSIDY PROGRAMS AND OTHER RELATED SUBSIDY 
                   PROGRAMS.

       Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 
     2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.) is hereby repealed.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 900, the gentleman 
from Arizona (Mr. Biggs) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.
  Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, my amendment is straightforward. It merely eliminates 
the bioenergy subsidy programs that were established way back in title 
IX of the 2002 farm bill some 16 years ago. Those programs are the 
Biobased Markets Program; the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and 
Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program; the Repowering 
Assistance Program; the Biodiesel Fuel Education Program; the Rural 
Energy for America Program; the Biomass Research and Development 
Initiative; the Feedstock Flexibility Program for Bioenergy Producers; 
the Biomass Crop Assistance Program; and the Community Wood Energy 
Program.
  President Reagan said that there is nothing quite as everlasting as a 
Federal program, and I am hoping that we can end some of these programs 
today.
  Needless to say, subsidies have no place in a free market. If 
biofuels are to succeed, it should be based on their benefit to the 
Nation's overall energy economy, not because they receive taxpayer 
funds.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge all my colleagues to end this Washington 
giveaway, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in 
opposition to the amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman 
from Arizona for his amendment; however, I believe it is a little bit 
misguided.
  The programs that the amendment would eliminate are not energy 
subsidies. What these programs do is to create infrastructure and 
market opportunities for America's farmers, ranchers, and rural 
communities. Furthermore, these programs often leverage private capital 
that actually works toward revitalizing our communities.
  Additionally, while I strongly support the RFS and biofuels 
production, these programs do not incentivize the production of corn 
ethanol, do not fund ethanol blender pumps, and are not part of the 
renewable fuels mandate.
  The Biggs amendment strikes infrastructure-focused initiatives that 
help farmers and ranchers improve energy efficiency in their operations 
and increase commercial opportunities for agricultural products.
  Mr. Chairman, I therefore urge my colleagues to join me in opposing 
this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Chairman, I respect my colleague's reasoned 
opposition, although I disagree with him.
  I appreciate his passion on the issue, and I have no doubt that he 
and I will work together on many future projects. But with this, Mr. 
Chairman, I continue to hold my position and would urge the passage of 
my amendment.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from South Dakota (Mrs. Noem), who is my good friend and 
colleague.
  Mrs. NOEM. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to the Biggs 
amendment as well. This amendment would repeal the bioenergy programs 
established in the 2002 farm bill. These programs encourage investment 
in small towns.
  Not only do they encourage renewable fuels--and to me, that is a 
national security issue--but they also

[[Page H4196]]

create jobs and investments that bring these benefits to our rural 
communities, our States, and our country. Not only that, but they also 
create new demand for many agricultural products.
  H.R. 2 already makes reforms. It eliminates mandate funding and 
reauthorizes programs that reduce discretionary funding levels. This 
amendment is not necessary because, instead of improving successful 
programs, it repeals them, eliminating all their successes, while not 
saving any taxpayer money.
  Mr. Chairman, I encourage my colleagues to vote against this 
amendment.
  Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate my colleague's position, and I 
regrettably must disagree with that position and continue to urge 
passage of the amendment.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague, Mr. 
Biggs. It is great to have this opportunity to talk about what we 
believe the impact of this amendment will be to many of the 
constituents that I serve in rural America. I appreciate the 
opportunity to debate. That is what this House is about, and that is 
what this process is about.
  I would like to thank my colleague for offering this amendment, 
although I do disagree and urge my colleagues to vote against.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Chairman, I urge passage of my amendment, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the noes 
appeared to have it.
  Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona will 
be postponed.


                    Announcement by the Acting Chair

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, proceedings 
will now resume on those amendments printed in House Report 115-679 on 
which further proceedings were postponed, in the following order:
  Amendment No. 1 by Ms. Foxx of North Carolina.
  Amendment No. 3 by Mr. McClintock of California.
  Amendment No. 8 by Mr. McClintock of California.
  Amendment No. 13 by Mr. Faso of New York.
  Amendment No. 16 by Mr. Biggs of Arizona.
  The Chair will reduce to 2 minutes the minimum time for any 
electronic vote after the first vote in this series.


                  Amendment No. 1 Offered by Ms. Foxx

  The Acting CHAIR. The unfinished business is the demand for a 
recorded vote on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from North 
Carolina (Ms. Foxx) on which further proceedings were postponed and on 
which the noes prevailed by voice vote.
  The Clerk will redesignate the amendment.
  The Clerk redesignated the amendment.


                             Recorded Vote

  The Acting CHAIR. A recorded vote has been demanded.
  A recorded vote was ordered.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 137, 
noes 278, not voting 12, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 193]

                               AYES--137

     Amash
     Amodei
     Banks (IN)
     Barletta
     Barr
     Biggs
     Black
     Blum
     Blumenauer
     Brat
     Brooks (IN)
     Bucshon
     Budd
     Chabot
     Cicilline
     Coffman
     Collins (NY)
     Comstock
     Cooper
     Costello (PA)
     Curtis
     Davidson
     Davis, Danny
     Delaney
     DeSantis
     DesJarlais
     Doggett
     Duncan (SC)
     Duncan (TN)
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Flores
     Foster
     Foxx
     Frelinghuysen
     Gallagher
     Garamendi
     Garrett
     Goodlatte
     Gosar
     Gottheimer
     Gowdy
     Graves (GA)
     Griffith
     Gutierrez
     Handel
     Harris
     Heck
     Hensarling
     Hice, Jody B.
     Himes
     Holding
     Hollingsworth
     Hultgren
     Hunter
     Issa
     Jenkins (KS)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kilmer
     Kind
     King (NY)
     Kuster (NH)
     Kustoff (TN)
     Lance
     Langevin
     Latta
     Lee
     Lesko
     Lipinski
     LoBiondo
     Loudermilk
     Love
     Marino
     Massie
     Mast
     McClintock
     Meeks
     Messer
     Mooney (WV)
     Moore
     Moulton
     Pallone
     Pascrell
     Perry
     Peters
     Quigley
     Raskin
     Ratcliffe
     Reichert
     Renacci
     Roe (TN)
     Rohrabacher
     Rokita
     Rooney, Francis
     Rosen
     Roskam
     Rothfus
     Royce (CA)
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Russell
     Sanford
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schweikert
     Sensenbrenner
     Shea-Porter
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Sinema
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (WA)
     Smucker
     Speier
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Swalwell (CA)
     Tipton
     Titus
     Tsongas
     Upton
     Veasey
     Visclosky
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walker
     Walorski
     Welch
     Wenstrup
     Williams
     Wittman
     Womack
     Woodall

                               NOES--278

     Abraham
     Adams
     Aderholt
     Aguilar
     Allen
     Arrington
     Babin
     Bacon
     Barragan
     Barton
     Bass
     Beatty
     Bera
     Bergman
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (GA)
     Bishop (MI)
     Bishop (UT)
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bost
     Brady (PA)
     Brady (TX)
     Brooks (AL)
     Brownley (CA)
     Buchanan
     Burgess
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Byrne
     Calvert
     Capuano
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson (IN)
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Cartwright
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Cheney
     Chu, Judy
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Cole
     Collins (GA)
     Comer
     Conaway
     Connolly
     Cook
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Cramer
     Crawford
     Crist
     Crowley
     Cuellar
     Culberson
     Cummings
     Curbelo (FL)
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Rodney
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Demings
     Denham
     DeSaulnier
     Deutch
     Diaz-Balart
     Dingell
     Donovan
     Doyle, Michael F.
     Duffy
     Dunn
     Ellison
     Emmer
     Engel
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Estes (KS)
     Esty (CT)
     Evans
     Faso
     Ferguson
     Fortenberry
     Frankel (FL)
     Fudge
     Gabbard
     Gaetz
     Gallego
     Gianforte
     Gibbs
     Gomez
     Gonzalez (TX)
     Granger
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green, Al
     Green, Gene
     Grijalva
     Grothman
     Guthrie
     Hanabusa
     Harper
     Hartzler
     Hastings
     Herrera Beutler
     Higgins (LA)
     Higgins (NY)
     Hill
     Hoyer
     Hudson
     Huffman
     Huizenga
     Hurd
     Jackson Lee
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Jenkins (WV)
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Jones
     Kaptur
     Katko
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kennedy
     Khanna
     Kihuen
     Kildee
     King (IA)
     Kinzinger
     Knight
     Krishnamoorthi
     LaHood
     LaMalfa
     Lamb
     Lamborn
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lawrence
     Lawson (FL)
     Levin
     Lewis (GA)
     Lewis (MN)
     Lieu, Ted
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Long
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Lujan Grisham, M.
     Lujan, Ben Ray
     Lynch
     MacArthur
     Maloney, Carolyn B.
     Maloney, Sean
     Marchant
     Marshall
     Matsui
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McCollum
     McEachin
     McGovern
     McHenry
     McKinley
     McMorris Rodgers
     McNerney
     McSally
     Meng
     Mitchell
     Moolenaar
     Mullin
     Murphy (FL)
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Newhouse
     Noem
     Nolan
     Norcross
     Norman
     Nunes
     O'Halleran
     O'Rourke
     Olson
     Palazzo
     Palmer
     Panetta
     Paulsen
     Payne
     Pearce
     Pelosi
     Perlmutter
     Peterson
     Pingree
     Pittenger
     Pocan
     Poe (TX)
     Poliquin
     Posey
     Price (NC)
     Reed
     Rice (NY)
     Rice (SC)
     Richmond
     Roby
     Rogers (AL)
     Rooney, Thomas J.
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Ross
     Rouzer
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Rutherford
     Ryan (OH)
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scalise
     Schakowsky
     Schrader
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, Austin
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sessions
     Sewell (AL)
     Sherman
     Simpson
     Sires
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (TX)
     Soto
     Stefanik
     Suozzi
     Takano
     Taylor
     Tenney
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Tonko
     Torres
     Trott
     Turner
     Valadao
     Vargas
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Walden
     Walters, Mimi
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters, Maxine
     Watson Coleman
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Westerman
     Wilson (FL)
     Wilson (SC)
     Yarmuth
     Yoder
     Yoho
     Young (AK)
     Young (IA)
     Zeldin

                             NOT VOTING--12

     Beyer
     Blackburn
     Boyle, Brendan F.
     Brown (MD)
     Buck
     Clay
     Gohmert
     Labrador
     Meadows
     Polis
     Rogers (KY)
     Walz

                              {time}  1753

  Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER, Messrs. CAPUANO, 
ADERHOLT, and LONG changed their vote from ``aye'' to ``no.''
  Mr. SWALWELL of California, Ms. LEE, Messrs. PASCRELL and ISSA 
changed their vote from ``no'' to ``aye.''
  So the amendment was rejected.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.


               Amendment No. 3 Offered by Mr. McClintock

  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Collins of Georgia). The unfinished business is 
the demand for a recorded vote on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock) on

[[Page H4197]]

which further proceedings were postponed and on which the noes 
prevailed by voice vote.
  The Clerk will redesignate the amendment.
  The Clerk redesignated the amendment.


                             Recorded Vote

  The Acting CHAIR. A recorded vote has been demanded.
  A recorded vote was ordered.
  The Acting CHAIR. This is a 2-minute vote.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 34, 
noes 380, not voting 13, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 194]

                                AYES--34

     Amash
     Banks (IN)
     Biggs
     Budd
     Chabot
     Coffman
     Cook
     DeSantis
     Duncan (TN)
     Foxx
     Frelinghuysen
     Gaetz
     Garrett
     Gosar
     Hensarling
     Herrera Beutler
     Issa
     Johnson, Sam
     Lance
     Lesko
     LoBiondo
     Loudermilk
     McClintock
     Messer
     Mooney (WV)
     Perry
     Posey
     Rohrabacher
     Rooney, Francis
     Rothfus
     Royce (CA)
     Sanford
     Schweikert
     Sensenbrenner

                               NOES--380

     Abraham
     Adams
     Aderholt
     Aguilar
     Allen
     Amodei
     Arrington
     Babin
     Bacon
     Barletta
     Barr
     Barragan
     Barton
     Bass
     Beatty
     Bera
     Bergman
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (GA)
     Bishop (MI)
     Bishop (UT)
     Black
     Blum
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bost
     Brady (PA)
     Brady (TX)
     Brat
     Brooks (AL)
     Brooks (IN)
     Brownley (CA)
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Burgess
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Byrne
     Calvert
     Capuano
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson (IN)
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Cartwright
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Cheney
     Chu, Judy
     Cicilline
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Cole
     Collins (GA)
     Collins (NY)
     Comer
     Comstock
     Conaway
     Connolly
     Cooper
     Correa
     Costa
     Costello (PA)
     Courtney
     Cramer
     Crawford
     Crist
     Crowley
     Cuellar
     Culberson
     Cummings
     Curbelo (FL)
     Curtis
     Davidson
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Danny
     Davis, Rodney
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     Delaney
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Demings
     Denham
     DeSaulnier
     DesJarlais
     Deutch
     Diaz-Balart
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Donovan
     Doyle, Michael F.
     Duffy
     Duncan (SC)
     Dunn
     Ellison
     Emmer
     Engel
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Estes (KS)
     Esty (CT)
     Evans
     Faso
     Ferguson
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Flores
     Fortenberry
     Foster
     Frankel (FL)
     Fudge
     Gabbard
     Gallagher
     Garamendi
     Gianforte
     Gibbs
     Gomez
     Gonzalez (TX)
     Goodlatte
     Gottheimer
     Gowdy
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green, Al
     Green, Gene
     Griffith
     Grijalva
     Grothman
     Guthrie
     Gutierrez
     Hanabusa
     Handel
     Harper
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Hastings
     Heck
     Hice, Jody B.
     Higgins (LA)
     Higgins (NY)
     Hill
     Himes
     Holding
     Hollingsworth
     Hoyer
     Hudson
     Huffman
     Huizenga
     Hultgren
     Hunter
     Hurd
     Jackson Lee
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Jenkins (KS)
     Jenkins (WV)
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Jones
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Kaptur
     Katko
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kennedy
     Khanna
     Kihuen
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kind
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kinzinger
     Knight
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster (NH)
     Kustoff (TN)
     LaHood
     LaMalfa
     Lamb
     Lamborn
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Latta
     Lawrence
     Lawson (FL)
     Lee
     Levin
     Lewis (GA)
     Lewis (MN)
     Lieu, Ted
     Lipinski
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Long
     Love
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Lujan Grisham, M.
     Lujan, Ben Ray
     Lynch
     MacArthur
     Maloney, Carolyn B.
     Maloney, Sean
     Marchant
     Marino
     Marshall
     Massie
     Mast
     Matsui
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McCollum
     McEachin
     McGovern
     McHenry
     McKinley
     McMorris Rodgers
     McNerney
     McSally
     Meeks
     Meng
     Mitchell
     Moolenaar
     Moore
     Moulton
     Mullin
     Murphy (FL)
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Newhouse
     Noem
     Nolan
     Norcross
     Norman
     Nunes
     O'Halleran
     O'Rourke
     Olson
     Palazzo
     Pallone
     Palmer
     Panetta
     Pascrell
     Paulsen
     Payne
     Pearce
     Pelosi
     Perlmutter
     Peters
     Peterson
     Pingree
     Pittenger
     Pocan
     Poe (TX)
     Poliquin
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Raskin
     Ratcliffe
     Reed
     Reichert
     Renacci
     Rice (NY)
     Rice (SC)
     Richmond
     Roby
     Roe (TN)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rokita
     Rooney, Thomas J.
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Rosen
     Roskam
     Ross
     Rouzer
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Russell
     Rutherford
     Ryan (OH)
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scalise
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schrader
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, Austin
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sessions
     Sewell (AL)
     Shea-Porter
     Sherman
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Sinema
     Sires
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Smith (WA)
     Smucker
     Soto
     Speier
     Stefanik
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Suozzi
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Taylor
     Tenney
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Tipton
     Titus
     Tonko
     Torres
     Trott
     Tsongas
     Turner
     Upton
     Valadao
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walker
     Walorski
     Walters, Mimi
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters, Maxine
     Watson Coleman
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Welch
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Williams
     Wilson (FL)
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Woodall
     Yarmuth
     Yoder
     Yoho
     Young (AK)
     Young (IA)
     Zeldin

                             NOT VOTING--13

     Beyer
     Blackburn
     Boyle, Brendan F.
     Brown (MD)
     Buck
     Clay
     Gallego
     Gohmert
     Labrador
     Meadows
     Polis
     Rogers (KY)
     Walz

                              {time}  1758

  Mr. COFFMAN changed his vote from ``no'' to ``aye.''
  So the amendment was rejected.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.


               Amendment No. 8 Offered by Mr. McClintock

  The Acting CHAIR. The unfinished business is the demand for a 
recorded vote on the amendment offered by the gentleman from California 
(Mr. McClintock) on which further proceedings were postponed and on 
which the noes prevailed by voice vote.
  The Clerk will redesignate the amendment.
  The Clerk redesignated the amendment.


                             Recorded Vote

  The Acting CHAIR. A recorded vote has been demanded.
  A recorded vote was ordered.
  The Acting CHAIR. This is a 2-minute vote.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 83, 
noes 330, not voting 14, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 195]

                                AYES--83

     Aderholt
     Arrington
     Bacon
     Banks (IN)
     Barr
     Biggs
     Bishop (UT)
     Black
     Blum
     Brat
     Budd
     Byrne
     Calvert
     Carter (GA)
     Chabot
     Cheney
     Collins (GA)
     Comer
     Cook
     Curtis
     Davidson
     DeSantis
     DesJarlais
     Duffy
     Duncan (SC)
     Duncan (TN)
     Estes (KS)
     Ferguson
     Fleischmann
     Foxx
     Gaetz
     Gallagher
     Garrett
     Gosar
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (LA)
     Grothman
     Guthrie
     Harris
     Hensarling
     Hice, Jody B.
     Holding
     Huizenga
     Hunter
     Issa
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jordan
     King (IA)
     Kustoff (TN)
     LaHood
     Lamborn
     Lesko
     Loudermilk
     Mast
     McClintock
     Messer
     Mooney (WV)
     Norman
     Palazzo
     Palmer
     Perry
     Pittenger
     Poe (TX)
     Ratcliffe
     Rice (SC)
     Roby
     Rohrabacher
     Rokita
     Rooney, Francis
     Rouzer
     Russell
     Sanford
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Sensenbrenner
     Smucker
     Walker
     Westerman
     Williams
     Wittman
     Woodall
     Zeldin

                               NOES--330

     Abraham
     Adams
     Aguilar
     Allen
     Amash
     Amodei
     Babin
     Barletta
     Barragan
     Barton
     Bass
     Beatty
     Bera
     Bergman
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (GA)
     Bishop (MI)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bost
     Brady (PA)
     Brady (TX)
     Brooks (AL)
     Brooks (IN)
     Brownley (CA)
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Burgess
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Capuano
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson (IN)
     Carter (TX)
     Cartwright
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Chu, Judy
     Cicilline
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Coffman
     Cohen
     Cole
     Collins (NY)
     Comstock
     Conaway
     Connolly
     Cooper
     Correa
     Costa
     Costello (PA)
     Courtney
     Cramer
     Crawford
     Crist
     Crowley
     Cuellar
     Culberson
     Cummings
     Curbelo (FL)
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Danny
     Davis, Rodney
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     Delaney
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Demings
     Denham
     DeSaulnier
     Deutch
     Diaz-Balart
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Donovan
     Doyle, Michael F.
     Dunn
     Ellison
     Emmer
     Engel
     Espaillat
     Esty (CT)
     Evans
     Faso
     Fitzpatrick
     Flores
     Fortenberry
     Foster
     Frankel (FL)
     Frelinghuysen
     Fudge
     Gabbard
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Gianforte
     Gibbs
     Gomez
     Gonzalez (TX)
     Goodlatte
     Gottheimer
     Gowdy
     Granger
     Graves (MO)
     Green, Al
     Green, Gene
     Griffith
     Grijalva
     Gutierrez
     Hanabusa
     Handel
     Harper
     Hartzler
     Hastings
     Heck
     Herrera Beutler
     Higgins (LA)
     Higgins (NY)
     Hill
     Himes
     Hollingsworth
     Hoyer
     Hudson
     Huffman
     Hultgren
     Hurd
     Jackson Lee
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Jenkins (KS)
     Jenkins (WV)
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Jones
     Joyce (OH)
     Kaptur
     Katko
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kennedy
     Khanna
     Kihuen
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kind
     King (NY)
     Kinzinger
     Knight
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster (NH)
     LaMalfa
     Lamb
     Lance

[[Page H4198]]


     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Latta
     Lawrence
     Lawson (FL)
     Lee
     Levin
     Lewis (GA)
     Lewis (MN)
     Lieu, Ted
     Lipinski
     LoBiondo
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Long
     Love
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Lujan Grisham, M.
     Lujan, Ben Ray
     Lynch
     MacArthur
     Maloney, Carolyn B.
     Maloney, Sean
     Marchant
     Marino
     Marshall
     Massie
     Matsui
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McCollum
     McEachin
     McGovern
     McHenry
     McKinley
     McMorris Rodgers
     McNerney
     McSally
     Meeks
     Meng
     Mitchell
     Moolenaar
     Moore
     Moulton
     Mullin
     Murphy (FL)
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Newhouse
     Noem
     Nolan
     Norcross
     Nunes
     O'Halleran
     O'Rourke
     Olson
     Pallone
     Panetta
     Pascrell
     Paulsen
     Payne
     Pearce
     Pelosi
     Perlmutter
     Peters
     Peterson
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Poliquin
     Posey
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Raskin
     Reed
     Reichert
     Renacci
     Rice (NY)
     Richmond
     Roe (TN)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rooney, Thomas J.
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Rosen
     Roskam
     Ross
     Rothfus
     Roybal-Allard
     Royce (CA)
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Rutherford
     Ryan (OH)
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schrader
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, Austin
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sessions
     Sewell (AL)
     Shea-Porter
     Sherman
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Sinema
     Sires
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Smith (WA)
     Soto
     Stefanik
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Suozzi
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Taylor
     Tenney
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Tipton
     Titus
     Tonko
     Torres
     Trott
     Tsongas
     Turner
     Upton
     Valadao
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walorski
     Walters, Mimi
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters, Maxine
     Watson Coleman
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Welch
     Wenstrup
     Wilson (FL)
     Wilson (SC)
     Womack
     Yarmuth
     Yoder
     Yoho
     Young (AK)
     Young (IA)

                             NOT VOTING--14

     Beyer
     Blackburn
     Boyle, Brendan F.
     Brown (MD)
     Buck
     Clay
     Eshoo
     Gohmert
     Labrador
     Meadows
     Polis
     Rogers (KY)
     Speier
     Walz


                    Announcement by the Acting Chair

  The Acting CHAIR (during the vote). There is 1 minute remaining.

                              {time}  1802

  Mr. YOUNG of Iowa changed his vote from ``aye'' to ``no.''
  Mr. KUSTOFF of Tennessee changed his vote from ``no'' to ``aye.''
  So the amendment was rejected.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.


                  Amendment No. 13 Offered by Mr. Faso

  The Acting CHAIR. The unfinished business is the demand for a 
recorded vote on the amendment offered by the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Faso) on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the 
ayes prevailed by voice vote.
  The Clerk will redesignate the amendment.
  The Clerk redesignated the amendment.


                             Recorded Vote

  The Acting CHAIR. A recorded vote has been demanded.
  A recorded vote was ordered.
  The Acting CHAIR. This is a 2-minute vote.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 222, 
noes 192, not voting 13, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 196]

                               AYES--222

     Abraham
     Aderholt
     Allen
     Amash
     Amodei
     Arrington
     Babin
     Bacon
     Banks (IN)
     Barletta
     Barr
     Barton
     Bergman
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (MI)
     Bishop (UT)
     Black
     Blum
     Bost
     Brady (TX)
     Brat
     Brooks (AL)
     Brooks (IN)
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Budd
     Burgess
     Byrne
     Calvert
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Chabot
     Cheney
     Coffman
     Cole
     Collins (GA)
     Collins (NY)
     Comer
     Comstock
     Conaway
     Cook
     Cramer
     Crawford
     Culberson
     Curbelo (FL)
     Curtis
     Davidson
     Davis, Rodney
     Denham
     DeSantis
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Donovan
     Duffy
     Duncan (SC)
     Duncan (TN)
     Dunn
     Emmer
     Estes (KS)
     Faso
     Ferguson
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Flores
     Fortenberry
     Foxx
     Frelinghuysen
     Gaetz
     Gallagher
     Garrett
     Gianforte
     Gibbs
     Goodlatte
     Gosar
     Gowdy
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guthrie
     Handel
     Harper
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Hensarling
     Herrera Beutler
     Hice, Jody B.
     Higgins (LA)
     Hill
     Holding
     Hollingsworth
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Hultgren
     Hunter
     Hurd
     Issa
     Jenkins (KS)
     Jenkins (WV)
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jones
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Katko
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kinzinger
     Knight
     Kustoff (TN)
     LaHood
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Latta
     Lesko
     Lewis (MN)
     Long
     Loudermilk
     Love
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     MacArthur
     Marchant
     Marino
     Marshall
     Massie
     Mast
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McClintock
     McHenry
     McKinley
     McMorris Rodgers
     McSally
     Messer
     Mitchell
     Moolenaar
     Mooney (WV)
     Mullin
     Noem
     Norman
     Nunes
     Olson
     Palazzo
     Palmer
     Paulsen
     Pearce
     Perry
     Pittenger
     Poe (TX)
     Poliquin
     Posey
     Ratcliffe
     Reed
     Reichert
     Renacci
     Rice (SC)
     Roby
     Roe (TN)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rohrabacher
     Rokita
     Rooney, Francis
     Rooney, Thomas J.
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roskam
     Ross
     Rothfus
     Rouzer
     Royce (CA)
     Russell
     Rutherford
     Sanford
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Sensenbrenner
     Sessions
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (TX)
     Smucker
     Stefanik
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Taylor
     Tenney
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Tipton
     Trott
     Upton
     Valadao
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walker
     Walorski
     Walters, Mimi
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Williams
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Woodall
     Yoder
     Yoho
     Young (AK)
     Young (IA)
     Zeldin

                               NOES--192

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Barragan
     Bass
     Beatty
     Bera
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Brady (PA)
     Brownley (CA)
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Capuano
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson (IN)
     Cartwright
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Chu, Judy
     Cicilline
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Cooper
     Correa
     Costa
     Costello (PA)
     Courtney
     Crist
     Crowley
     Cuellar
     Cummings
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Danny
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     Delaney
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Demings
     DeSaulnier
     Deutch
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Doyle, Michael F.
     Ellison
     Engel
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Esty (CT)
     Evans
     Foster
     Frankel (FL)
     Fudge
     Gabbard
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Gomez
     Gonzalez (TX)
     Gottheimer
     Green, Al
     Grijalva
     Gutierrez
     Hanabusa
     Hastings
     Heck
     Higgins (NY)
     Himes
     Hoyer
     Huffman
     Jackson Lee
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Kennedy
     Khanna
     Kihuen
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kind
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster (NH)
     Lamb
     Lance
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lawrence
     Lawson (FL)
     Lee
     Levin
     Lewis (GA)
     Lieu, Ted
     Lipinski
     LoBiondo
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Lujan Grisham, M.
     Lujan, Ben Ray
     Lynch
     Maloney, Carolyn B.
     Maloney, Sean
     Matsui
     McCollum
     McEachin
     McGovern
     McNerney
     Meeks
     Meng
     Moore
     Moulton
     Murphy (FL)
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Newhouse
     Nolan
     Norcross
     O'Halleran
     O'Rourke
     Pallone
     Panetta
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Perlmutter
     Peters
     Peterson
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Raskin
     Rice (NY)
     Richmond
     Rosen
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Ryan (OH)
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schrader
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sewell (AL)
     Shea-Porter
     Sherman
     Sinema
     Sires
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (WA)
     Soto
     Speier
     Suozzi
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tonko
     Torres
     Tsongas
     Turner
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters, Maxine
     Watson Coleman
     Welch
     Wilson (FL)
     Yarmuth

                             NOT VOTING--13

     Beyer
     Blackburn
     Boyle, Brendan F.
     Brown (MD)
     Buck
     Clay
     Gohmert
     Green, Gene
     Labrador
     Meadows
     Polis
     Rogers (KY)
     Walz


                    Announcement by the Acting Chair

  The Acting CHAIR (during the vote). There is 1 minute remaining.

                              {time}  1806

  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia changed his vote from ``no'' to ``aye.''
  So the amendment was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.


                 Amendment No. 16 Offered by Mr. Biggs

  The Acting CHAIR. The unfinished business is the demand for a 
recorded vote on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona 
(Mr. Biggs) on which further proceedings were postponed and on which 
the noes prevailed by voice vote.
  The Clerk will redesignate the amendment.
  The Clerk redesignated the amendment.


                             Recorded Vote

  The Acting CHAIR. A recorded vote has been demanded.
  A recorded vote was ordered.
  The Acting CHAIR. This is a 2-minute vote.

[[Page H4199]]

  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 75, 
noes 340, not voting 12, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 197]

                                AYES--75

     Amash
     Banks (IN)
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (UT)
     Brat
     Budd
     Burgess
     Carter (GA)
     Chabot
     Coffman
     Collins (GA)
     Comer
     Cooper
     Culberson
     Curtis
     Davidson
     DeSantis
     DesJarlais
     Duncan (SC)
     Duncan (TN)
     Estes (KS)
     Fleischmann
     Foxx
     Frelinghuysen
     Gallagher
     Garrett
     Gianforte
     Gosar
     Graves (GA)
     Grothman
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Hensarling
     Hice, Jody B.
     Holding
     Huizenga
     Hunter
     Issa
     Johnson, Sam
     Jordan
     Lamborn
     Lesko
     Loudermilk
     Massie
     McClintock
     McHenry
     McSally
     Mooney (WV)
     Mullin
     Norman
     Palmer
     Poe (TX)
     Posey
     Ratcliffe
     Roe (TN)
     Rohrabacher
     Rokita
     Rooney, Francis
     Rothfus
     Royce (CA)
     Russell
     Sanford
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Sensenbrenner
     Sessions
     Wagner
     Walker
     Walters, Mimi
     Webster (FL)
     Williams
     Wittman
     Woodall
     Zeldin

                               NOES--340

     Abraham
     Adams
     Aderholt
     Aguilar
     Allen
     Amodei
     Arrington
     Babin
     Bacon
     Barletta
     Barr
     Barragan
     Barton
     Bass
     Beatty
     Bera
     Bergman
     Bishop (GA)
     Bishop (MI)
     Black
     Blum
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bost
     Brady (PA)
     Brady (TX)
     Brooks (AL)
     Brooks (IN)
     Brownley (CA)
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Byrne
     Calvert
     Capuano
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson (IN)
     Carter (TX)
     Cartwright
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Cheney
     Chu, Judy
     Cicilline
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Cole
     Collins (NY)
     Comstock
     Conaway
     Connolly
     Cook
     Correa
     Costa
     Costello (PA)
     Courtney
     Cramer
     Crawford
     Crist
     Crowley
     Cuellar
     Cummings
     Curbelo (FL)
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Danny
     Davis, Rodney
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     Delaney
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Demings
     Denham
     DeSaulnier
     Deutch
     Diaz-Balart
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Donovan
     Doyle, Michael F.
     Duffy
     Dunn
     Ellison
     Emmer
     Engel
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Esty (CT)
     Evans
     Faso
     Ferguson
     Fitzpatrick
     Flores
     Fortenberry
     Foster
     Frankel (FL)
     Fudge
     Gabbard
     Gaetz
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Gibbs
     Gomez
     Gonzalez (TX)
     Goodlatte
     Gottheimer
     Gowdy
     Granger
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green, Al
     Green, Gene
     Griffith
     Grijalva
     Guthrie
     Gutierrez
     Hanabusa
     Handel
     Harper
     Hastings
     Heck
     Herrera Beutler
     Higgins (LA)
     Higgins (NY)
     Hill
     Himes
     Hollingsworth
     Hoyer
     Hudson
     Huffman
     Hultgren
     Hurd
     Jackson Lee
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Jenkins (KS)
     Jenkins (WV)
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Jones
     Joyce (OH)
     Kaptur
     Katko
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kennedy
     Khanna
     Kihuen
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kind
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kinzinger
     Knight
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster (NH)
     Kustoff (TN)
     LaHood
     LaMalfa
     Lamb
     Lance
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Latta
     Lawrence
     Lawson (FL)
     Lee
     Levin
     Lewis (GA)
     Lewis (MN)
     Lieu, Ted
     Lipinski
     LoBiondo
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Long
     Love
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Lujan Grisham, M.
     Lujan, Ben Ray
     Lynch
     MacArthur
     Maloney, Carolyn B.
     Maloney, Sean
     Marchant
     Marino
     Marshall
     Mast
     Matsui
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McCollum
     McEachin
     McGovern
     McKinley
     McMorris Rodgers
     McNerney
     Meeks
     Meng
     Messer
     Mitchell
     Moolenaar
     Moore
     Moulton
     Murphy (FL)
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Newhouse
     Noem
     Nolan
     Norcross
     Nunes
     O'Halleran
     O'Rourke
     Olson
     Palazzo
     Pallone
     Panetta
     Pascrell
     Paulsen
     Payne
     Pearce
     Pelosi
     Perlmutter
     Perry
     Peters
     Peterson
     Pingree
     Pittenger
     Pocan
     Poliquin
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Raskin
     Reed
     Reichert
     Renacci
     Rice (NY)
     Rice (SC)
     Richmond
     Roby
     Rogers (AL)
     Rooney, Thomas J.
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Rosen
     Roskam
     Ross
     Rouzer
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Rutherford
     Ryan (OH)
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schrader
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, Austin
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sewell (AL)
     Shea-Porter
     Sherman
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Sinema
     Sires
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Smith (WA)
     Smucker
     Soto
     Speier
     Stefanik
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Suozzi
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Taylor
     Tenney
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Tipton
     Titus
     Tonko
     Torres
     Trott
     Tsongas
     Turner
     Upton
     Valadao
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walorski
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters, Maxine
     Watson Coleman
     Weber (TX)
     Welch
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Wilson (FL)
     Wilson (SC)
     Womack
     Yarmuth
     Yoder
     Yoho
     Young (AK)
     Young (IA)

                             NOT VOTING--12

     Beyer
     Blackburn
     Boyle, Brendan F.
     Brown (MD)
     Buck
     Clay
     Gohmert
     Labrador
     Meadows
     Polis
     Rogers (KY)
     Walz


                    Announcement by the Acting Chair

  The Acting CHAIR (during the vote). There is 1 minute remaining.

                              {time}  1811

  Mr. COFFMAN changed his vote from ``no'' to ``aye.''
  So the amendment was rejected.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.
  The motion was agreed to.
  Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. 
Hultgren) having assumed the chair, Mr. McClintock, Acting Chair of the 
Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that 
that Committee, having had under consideration 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, had come to no resolution thereon.

                          ____________________