[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 18, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6493-H6495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MOTION TO INSTRUCT CONFEREES ON H.R. 2, AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT
OF 2018
Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the
Speaker's table 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 the
Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and request
a conference with the Senate thereon.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to instruct conferees at
the desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion.
The Clerk read as follows:
Mr. Peterson moves that the managers on the part of the
House at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two
Houses on Senate amendment to the bill H.R. 2 (an Act 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) be instructed to
insist on section 11101 of the House bill (relating to animal
disease preparedness and response) with an amendment to
section 10417(d)(1)(B) of the Animal Health Protection Act (7
U.S.C. 8316(d)(1)(B)), as proposed to be added to such Act by
such section 11101, to strike ``2023'' and insert
``thereafter''.
Mr. PETERSON (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous
consent that the reading be dispensed with.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Minnesota?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 7 of rule XXII, the
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Peterson) and the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Conaway) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota.
Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of anxiety out in the countryside because
of trade, because of RFS, because of low prices, and because of weather
in my area. What we are trying to do here is avoid another potential
problem, and that is what can happen with an animal disease outbreak in
this country.
In Minnesota, we suffered the biggest animal disease outbreak we have
ever seen in this country when we got avian influenza in our turkey
flock. It was devastating. The producers lost $113 million. We lost $3
billion in the country, and we saw the effect of not being prepared.
This isn't just a poultry problem. This also relates to foot-and-
mouth disease, to PEDv, to cattle fever tick that Congressman Vela has
informed me about, and to other diseases that present a serious threat
for the viability of the livestock operations in the communities and
supply chains across the country that depend on them.
In the House bill, we have a provision for $450 million of permanent
funding over 5 years for programs, including the National Animal Health
Laboratory Network, the National Animal Disease Preparedness and
Response Program, and the National Animal Vaccine Bank. The Senate
provides an authorization for appropriations, but there is no permanent
funding in the Senate bill.
While the appropriations committees deserve credit because they have
put some funding into these programs over the years, the problem is
that APHIS and the people who deal with this at the State level can't
depend on it because you never know what it is going to be from year to
year because the appropriators are the ones who have to decide. We want
to make this permanent, and we are hoping that the Senate will accede
to our ideas.
Animal disease programs are important investments in the health of
our Nation's animals, our people, and the security of our food supply.
As part of their work on the farm bill, conferees should insist on 10-
year mandatory funding for animal disease preparedness and response
programs to provide the certainty for both the farmers, for the
consumers, and for the people who deal with this at the regulatory
level.
Mr. Speaker, I include my full statement in the Record.
The mood in farm country is bad. It's bad because of the
Administration's trade war; it's
[[Page H6494]]
bad because of declines in farm income; and it's bad because of
volatile weather like the floods in the southern part of my district.
Farmers and ranchers are staring a historically bad year in the face,
and another hit would mean devastation for many of them.
And that's exactly what an animal disease outbreak would cause.
Minnesota is the nation's largest producer of turkeys. Following an
outbreak of avian influenza in 2013 and 2014, it is estimated that
poultry producers in my state lost $113 million in existing production,
approximately $3 billion nationally, and it cost taxpayers almost $1
billion.
Hungry consumers are affected too. The price of a dozen eggs in 2015
was double what it was before the outbreak.
This isn't just a poultry problem. Foot and Mouth Disease, PEDv,
Cattle Fever Tick and other diseases present a serious threat to the
viability of livestock operations and the communities and supply chains
across the country that depend on them. Outbreaks mean culling animals
and suspending production, and because fewer animals come into
processing facilities, layoffs in local communities.
Disease outbreaks also impact farmers who grow feed. One study
estimates that a future outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease could cost
corn growers $44 billion and soybean growers nearly $25 billion. And
there's a national security aspect to animal disease preparedness. The
bipartisan Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense found that our current
commitment to animal disease outbreaks leaves us vulnerable to attack
on our food supply.
If we are serious about addressing these outbreaks, we must invest in
preparation and response tools to tackle these diseases early. That
level of effort is impossible without long-term funding certainty.
Currently, the House bill provides $450 million in mandatory funding
over five years for programs including the National Animal Health
Laboratory Network, the National Animal Disease Preparedness and
Response Program, and the National Animal Vaccine Bank. The Senate
provides an authorization for appropriations, but no mandatory funding.
While the Appropriations Committees deserve credit for providing some
funding for these programs in their bills, animal health is not a
short-term issue or an issue we should short change. APHIS, state
officials, and producers need to know that adequate funding for these
programs is going to be available for their work to pay off.
Animal disease programs are important investments in the health of
our nation's animals, our people, and the security of our food supply.
As part of their work on the farm bill, conferees should insist on ten-
year, mandatory funding for Animal Disease Preparedness and Response
Programs to provide the certainty that both farmers and consumers need.
I am submitting for the Record a letter in support of these provisions
from the Animal Agriculture Coalition, which represents livestock
producers and animal health professionals nationwide.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the motion to instruct,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the ranking member's motion is very much in the spirit
of the House position. I am really appreciative of that. Quite frankly,
it makes our bill better.
H.R. 2 makes the historic commitment to protecting our Nation's
livestock herd and, frankly, our national security by establishing and
funding forward-looking animal health initiatives that address existing
and emerging pest and disease threats.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to continuing this discussion in
conference, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support the motion,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's motion, and I
ask Members to support it.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to
instruct.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to instruct.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, this 15-
minute vote on the motion to instruct will be followed by 5-minute
votes on:
Suspending the rules and adopting H. Res. 990;
Suspending the rules and passing H.R. 1037;
Ordering the previous question on H. Res. 1001; and
Adopting H. Res. 1001, if ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 392,
nays 20, not voting 16, as follows:
[Roll No. 336]
YEAS--392
Abraham
Adams
Aderholt
Aguilar
Allen
Amodei
Arrington
Babin
Bacon
Banks (IN)
Barletta
Barr
Barragan
Barton
Beatty
Bera
Bergman
Beyer
Bilirakis
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (MI)
Bishop (UT)
Blum
Blumenauer
Blunt Rochester
Bonamici
Bost
Boyle, Brendan F.
Brady (PA)
Brady (TX)
Brooks (IN)
Brown (MD)
Brownley (CA)
Buchanan
Buck
Bucshon
Budd
Burgess
Bustos
Butterfield
Byrne
Calvert
Capuano
Carbajal
Carson (IN)
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Cartwright
Castro (TX)
Chabot
Cheney
Chu, Judy
Cicilline
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Cleaver
Cloud
Clyburn
Coffman
Cohen
Cole
Collins (GA)
Collins (NY)
Comer
Comstock
Conaway
Connolly
Cook
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 (TN)
Dunn
Ellison
Emmer
Engel
Eshoo
Espaillat
Estes (KS)
Esty (CT)
Evans
Faso
Ferguson
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Flores
Fortenberry
Foster
Foxx
Frankel (FL)
Frelinghuysen
Fudge
Gabbard
Gallagher
Gallego
Garamendi
Gianforte
Gibbs
Gomez
Gonzalez (TX)
Gottheimer
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Grothman
Guthrie
Gutierrez
Handel
Harper
Hartzler
Hastings
Heck
Hensarling
Herrera Beutler
Higgins (LA)
Higgins (NY)
Hill
Himes
Holding
Hollingsworth
Hoyer
Hudson
Huffman
Huizenga
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurd
Issa
Jackson Lee
Jayapal
Jeffries
Jenkins (KS)
Jenkins (WV)
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnson, Sam
Joyce (OH)
Kaptur
Katko
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kelly (PA)
Kennedy
Khanna
Kihuen
Kildee
Kilmer
Kind
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kinzinger
Knight
Krishnamoorthi
Kuster (NH)
Kustoff (TN)
LaHood
LaMalfa
Lamb
Lamborn
Lance
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latta
Lawrence
Lawson (FL)
Lee
Lesko
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lewis (MN)
Lieu, Ted
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Loebsack
Lofgren
Long
Loudermilk
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
McHenry
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
McNerney
McSally
Meadows
Meeks
Meng
Messer
Mitchell
Moolenaar
Mooney (WV)
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
Polis
Price (NC)
Quigley
Raskin
Ratcliffe
Reed
Reichert
Renacci
Rice (NY)
Rice (SC)
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rohrabacher
Rooney, Francis
Rooney, Thomas J.
Ros-Lehtinen
Rosen
Roskam
Ross
Rothfus
Rouzer
Roybal-Allard
Royce (CA)
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rush
Russell
Rutherford
Ryan (OH)
Sanchez
Sarbanes
Scalise
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schneider
Schrader
Schweikert
Scott (VA)
Scott, Austin
Scott, David
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sessions
Sewell (AL)
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Shimkus
Simpson
Sinema
Sires
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith (WA)
Smucker
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
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
[[Page H6495]]
Yarmuth
Yoder
Yoho
Young (AK)
Young (IA)
Zeldin
NAYS--20
Amash
Biggs
Brat
Brooks (AL)
Garrett
Gohmert
Gosar
Griffith
Harris
Hice, Jody B.
Jones
Jordan
Kelly (MS)
Labrador
Massie
McClintock
Perry
Posey
Rokita
Sanford
NOT VOTING--16
Bass
Black
Blackburn
Cardenas
Castor (FL)
DeSantis
Duncan (SC)
Gaetz
Goodlatte
Hanabusa
Moore
Richmond
Roby
Shuster
Speier
Walz
{time} 1520
Messrs. BIGGS, LABRADOR, MASSIE, JONES, JODY B. HICE of Georgia,
ROKITA, JORDAN, BROOKS of Alabama, BRAT, GOSAR, GARRETT, and KELLY of
Mississippi changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Messrs. DUNCAN of Tennessee, TIPTON, FERGUSON, Mrs. NOEM, Messrs.
COOK, SMITH of Texas, and SAM JOHNSON of Texas changed their vote from
``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the motion to instruct conferees was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table
Stated for:
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been
present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 336.
____________________