[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 132 (Monday, July 27, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H3862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           SUPPORTING ESSENTIAL WORKERS IN FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, a strong, reliable food 
supply chain is important 365 days a year. But COVID-19 has underscored 
just how much we rely on this essential industry in times of crisis.
  The men and women who work to provide our Nation with the food, 
fiber, and energy that we depend on each and every day are among the 
unsung heroes in this crisis.
  In April, I introduced the GROCER Act to establish a Federal tax 
holiday for our grocery store and convenience store employees from 
February 15, 2020, to June 15, 2020. The bill benefits individuals 
making less than $75,000 a year and gives the Treasury Secretary the 
discretion to extend this benefit for an additional 3 months.
  To build on the support for the GROCER Act, Congressman Dwight Evans 
and I introduced the AG CHAIN Act.
  The AG CHAIN Act extends the GROCER Act to the entire food supply 
chain defined by recent Department of Homeland Security guidance. That 
includes our farmers, ranchers, meatpackers, distributors, and more. It 
also builds on the GROCER Act to include a payroll tax exemption in 
addition to the Federal tax holiday.
  Supporting our essential workers in the food supply chain is 
something that Republicans, Democrats, and everyone in-between can get 
behind.
  A recent poll showed support from the public as well. According to 
the Morning Consult, 90 percent of voters consider agricultural and 
food production workers essential, and 93 percent consider grocery 
store workers and convenience store workers essential. When it comes to 
providing tax relief to the essential workers who keep our grocery 
stores and our farms operational, two-thirds of voters supported some 
kind of tax relief for these individuals.

                              {time}  0930

  Those numbers speak for themselves, Mr. Speaker.
  We all depend on a strong food supply chain to feed our families. 
Even in times of crisis, the shelves and coolers in our grocery stores 
have remained stocked. Now, that would not be the case if we were not 
blessed with such a hardworking and resilient agriculture industry.
  Food security is national security, and employees in the food supply 
chain are working overtime to ensure crops are harvested, shelves and 
coolers are stocked, and Americans have food on the table.
  The AG CHAIN Act is a simple way to say thank you to the hardworking 
men and women across the full spectrum of the food supply chain. It is 
a commonsense way to support these workers, and it is a way to put more 
of their hard-earned money back into their own pockets.
  Today and every day, I am grateful for the hard work of our food 
supply chain workers, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting 
the AG CHAIN Act.

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