[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 29, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H3246-H3247]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING NORTH CAROLINA SWEET POTATO COMMISSION'S 60TH ANNIVERSARY
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer) for 5 minutes.
Mr. ROUZER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the North
Carolina Sweet Potato Commission's 60th anniversary.
In 1961, six sweet potato producers chartered the commission to
support growers and to maintain North Carolina's standing as a leading
sweet potato producing State. They are now more than 400 sweet potato
growers strong as well as packers, processors, and business associates
who remain dedicated to supporting our State's prosperous sweet potato
industry.
Since 1971, North Carolina has ranked as the number one sweet potato
producing State in the U.S. with 65 percent of the Nation's sweet
potato production. North Carolina sweet potato producers are family
farmers who have been cultivating their land for generations growing
many different crops. They work day and night, year after year to ship
delectable, high quality, nutritious North Carolina sweet potatoes all
across the country and the world.
Agriculture is the backbone of North Carolina's economy, and the
sweet potato industry is absolutely critical to our food supply in
North Carolina and in the country. It is not an understatement to say
that the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission has more than fulfilled
its founding mission to strengthen our State's sweet potato production,
and I congratulate them on their 60th anniversary.
May they have many more years of providing every American with one of
our Nation's safest, nutritious, and might I add, delicious vegetables
grown.
Congress Must Aggressively Address the National Debt
Mr. ROUZER. Mr. Speaker, our national debt exceeds $28.1 trillion.
Congress year after year continues spending money with seemingly no
regard for the debts we are pushing onto future generations. While it
was necessary to spend a significant amount of money to get us through
the COVID-19 crisis, we must now move aggressively to address the
national debt, in my opinion, the most significant domestic threat that
our country faces. And the sooner we take action the better.
{time} 1030
Unfortunately, the current administration doesn't seem to feel the
need to pursue fiscal restraint. President Biden's spending agenda is
hurting families and small businesses across the country. Meanwhile, he
has sent Congress a $6 trillion budget request.
This additional spending will lead to even more inflation. The
excessive spending Congress recently approved has already resulted in
inflation. We
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see it every day in the skyrocketing prices of goods. And if the
President and Democrats in Congress get their way on major tax hikes,
the economy and working families will be hurt even more.
Today, the American dollar is still king, which is how we can print
and borrow money with seemingly little consequence. But huge debt-to-
GDP ratios threaten that standing and could easily cause a significant
decline in our standard of living.
Rampant inflation, which is really just a hidden tax, and a
significantly devalued dollar could cripple our economy and easily lead
future generations right back to the days of centuries before us.
Now, in contrast, the budget proposed by the Republican Study
Committee for fiscal year 2022 balances the annual budget in 5 years by
reducing spending and maintaining pro-growth policies. It is the most
pro-life budget ever written, with 17 pro-life provisions included. It
protects Second Amendment rights, secures our border, and offers real
solutions to return our country to fiscal responsibility.
Mr. Speaker, the Republican Study Committee budget combats
Washington's out-of-control spending and puts American taxpayers first.
We should all be able to agree it is long past time to bring fiscal
sanity to Washington.
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