[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 118 (Friday, June 26, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E580]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RECOGNIZING NATIONAL POLLINATOR WEEK

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                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 26, 2020

  Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of National 
Pollinator Week.
  Our pollinators are an invaluable asset to our food production, 
environment, and economy. Over 100 of our crops and $18 billion in crop 
production revenue rely on pollinators like the monarch butterfly, over 
250 species of bumblebees, and hummingbirds. They help sustain life on 
Earth and we are obligated to protect them.
  As a country, we have taken necessary steps to rally around 
pollinators. In 2019, NIFA awarded $4 million in competitive grants for 
pollinator health related projects and the Appropriations Committee 
funded $400,000 for a designated pollinator research coordinator in the 
United States Department of Agriculture. It is reassuring to see united 
support from the USDA, Department of the Interior, and the 
Environmental Protection Agency, each of which signed proclamations 
declaring this week National Pollinator Week.
  My district is the proud home of three cities designated as a 
``Monarch City USA,'' including Oak Harbor, Port Clinton, and Sandusky, 
Ohio. These three cities have contributed to the protection of the 
monarch butterfly by planting milkweed and nectar plants, among other 
conservation efforts. This year the Trump Administration will decide 
whether the monarch butterfly should be added to the endangered species 
list as populations continue a harrowing multi-decade decline. I urge 
the Administration to use science and common sense when considering 
their decision.
  In honor of National Pollinator Week, please join me in celebrating 
the beauty and utility of one of nature's finest constructs, and 
renewing our promise to protect these keystone species: pollinators.

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