[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 2, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H347]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   FOOD IS A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE

  (Mr. COSTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak on behalf of the America 
COMPETES Act of 2022, which makes a critical $45 billion investment in 
supply chain resiliency--critical.
  Farmers in my district have suffered from a backlog seen in American 
ports and harbors. The California Farm Bureau estimates that in a 4-
month period last year, California agriculture exports fell by $2 
billion--important and significant.
  Food, I believe, is a national security issue. This supply chain 
crisis hurts farmers and only increases food insecurity and prices for 
those in need; i.e., the American consumer.
  That is why I am cosponsoring an amendment in the COMPETES Act that 
requires the Secretary of Agriculture and Assistant Secretary of supply 
chain resilience and crisis response to monitor food and agriculture 
supply chains and provide Congress with their findings so that we can 
protect and improve our critical supply chain in this country.
  Our country must ensure that we have safeguards in place to keep our 
supply chains strong, which contributes to success on the global 
economic stage.

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