[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 87 (Tuesday, May 23, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H2506-H2507]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              FARM BILL IMPACT NO. 20: NBAF RIBBON CUTTING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Mann) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to deliver the 20th installment 
of my farm bill impact series and celebrate this week's ribbon cutting 
at USDA's National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas, 
in the heart of my district.
  It has been 8 years since the facility's groundbreaking in 2015, and 
now this state-of-the-art, 700,000-square-foot research center is a 
national asset that will help protect animal agriculture against the 
threat and potential impact of serious animal diseases.
  NBAF will be home to the only maximum biocontainment space in the 
country where USDA will conduct comprehensive research, develop animal 
vaccines and antivirals, and explore enhanced diagnostic and training 
capabilities. This facility isn't just about animal health. It is about 
public health, as well.
  NBAF will replace the 60-year-old Plum Island Animal Disease Center 
in New York, create 400 new jobs for Kansans, generate more than $100 
million in total economic benefit for our State, and make Kansas the 
home of internationally recognized animal disease experts.
  By bringing healthy animals into the facility, world-renowned 
research will happen here. I am proud to have this facility in my 
district and right down the street from K-State's College of Veterinary 
Medicine and the Biosecurity Research Institute, creating a scientific 
hub that will lead the world in agriculture research and health.
  Last month, I chaired my first hearing of the House Agriculture 
Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry on animal health with 
USDA Under Secretary Moffitt. Animal health is at the forefront of 
livestock producers' minds, and so it is at the forefront of my mind on 
their behalf.
  This year's farm bill is an opportunity to lead in the areas of 
innovation and research. We must get animal health right for our food 
security, economic security, and national security.
  The 2018 farm bill contained special authorization for biosecurity 
planning and response, which helped make NBAF possible. NBAF is a 
concrete example of the impact that we can have when we reauthorize the 
farm bill in careful and creative ways.
  Last year, I hosted House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. 
Thompson on an ag tour of Kansas, where I was proud to show him NBAF. 
Last month, I hosted House Agriculture Committee staff and 
congressional staff from agriculture districts around the country for a 
tour of NBAF. The technology, scale, and international significance of 
the facility are truly second to none.

  Once fully operational, NBAF won't just support and protect 
agriculture. It will protect our country and the world.
  I will be back on the floor soon to deliver another installment of my 
farm bill impact series and highlight more programs and titles within 
the farm bill that I believe Congress must understand and support to 
ensure that agriculture thrives right here in America.


                  Opposing a National Abortion Hotline

  Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to use my voice in defense of the 
voiceless.
  Abortion has desensitized our Nation and resulted in the deaths of 
nearly 64 million unborn American citizens, which is basically the 
entire population of the Midwest.
  Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, rectifying 
a wrong that has plagued our country for decades. While that is a huge 
triumph for the right to life, there is still a lot of work to be done.
  Last month, the Biden administration announced that it plans to use 
$1.5 billion of taxpayer money to establish a national abortion hotline 
to counsel individuals on how to obtain an abortion and certain other 
family planning services.
  According to the administration, the project will operate as a 
supplement to the existing Title X Family Planning services grant. The 
grant information states that one of the hotline's purposes will be to 
offer information, counseling, and referral for pregnancy termination.
  The Public Health Services Act of 1970 established Title X funds to 
help low-income and uninsured women access healthcare and family 
planning services. From the beginning, Title X funds were never 
intended to support abortion services, and the underlying statute 
explicitly prohibits it.
  In October 2021, however, the Biden administration finalized a rule 
that

[[Page H2507]]

violated the spirit of this law by actively supporting abortion. It 
provided Title X funding to clinics that perform elective abortions by 
requiring grantees to make abortion referrals.
  This new abortion hotline goes one step further.
  Taxpayer dollars should never go toward funding abortions, but 
President Biden and his administration are continually attempting to 
use Title X funds to promote abortion services.
  This week, I am leading a letter to President Biden to push back on 
this gross violation of the law, and I will be doing everything within 
my power to prevent this hotline from going live, including a piece of 
legislation that I plan to introduce soon.
  I firmly believe that life begins at conception, and I will fight to 
protect the lives of all Americans, born and unborn. I will also 
continue to protect pregnancy resource centers and pro-life 
organizations from domestic terrorism.
  As a proud father and member of the Values Action Team, I will 
strongly oppose any legislation that would endanger the lives of the 
unborn, and I will support legislation that protects the rights of the 
defenseless.

                          ____________________