[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 41 (Thursday, March 7, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S2255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Agricultural Appropriations

  Mr. President, I rise now as the chair of the Appropriations 
Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug 
Administration, and Related Agencies. For the better part of 9 months, 
I have been negotiating a bipartisan agricultural appropriations bill. 
My singular goal was delivering a bill that invests in rural 
communities, supports our farmers, and delivers for America's children. 
That is what our agricultural appropriations bill does. I am proud to 
have gotten us here, alongside Ranking Member John Hoeven and his great 
staff and with the immeasurable leadership of Chairwoman Patty Murray.
  Our bill will help farmers produce healthy food. It will support 
economic development in rural communities and help working families put 
food on the table.
  As we went through the negotiations, I had to stand particularly firm 
to protect the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, 
Infants, and Children--what most of us know as WIC. I can't think of a 
more important program and a more important constituency in our country 
than one that delivers food to babies and toddlers.
  My constituents in New Mexico agree. Dr. Laurence Shandler is a 
pediatrician back home. As he put it in a letter to my office, the 
impact of delivering this support goes way beyond the food itself. Dr. 
Shandler shared how ``children who receive WIC have improved birth 
outcomes, increased immunization rates, better access to healthcare, 
reduced healthcare costs, and better referrals to social services for 
families.'' He said:

       Now is not the time to scale back on WIC.

  I couldn't agree more.
  I am proud to say that despite House Republicans' best efforts--and, 
believe me, they tried--we have fully funded WIC.
  This is a major win for families across the country. We are ensuring 
that none of the 7 million women and children who depend on this 
nutrition will be put on a waiting list or denied assistance outright.
  I am also proud that we have fully funded SNAP--a program that helps 
42 million Americans put food on the table each month. In doing that, 
we also blocked House Republicans' attempt to impose new redtape and 
ineffective restrictions on eligibility for Americans who count on 
SNAP, because what working families need right now is a government that 
will fight for them, not one that will make their lives more difficult.
  Our bill fully funds Child Nutrition Programs--like the School Lunch 
Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the summer EBT program--to 
ensure that children don't go hungry.
  Our kids should be able to focus on learning in the classroom, on 
growing, and on making new friends, not worrying about where their next 
meal will come from.
  We also are maintaining our strong support for the agricultural 
producers who grow our food. I know how much that means to the 
Presiding Officer. That includes maintaining support for vital 
agricultural research and our Nation's next generation of researchers 
through funding for both the Agricultural Research Service and the 
National Institute for Food and Agriculture.
  These funds support scientific discovery at land-grant universities 
and research centers all across our country, including New Mexico State 
University in my home State.
  Our bill also delivers investments to help our Nation's farmers and 
producers make their operations more resilient to an ever-changing 
climate. Farmers in New Mexico are grappling with dryer conditions, 
dwindling water supplies. And they are not alone. I know that farmers 
and producers are eager to improve the long-term health of their 
working landscapes. They just need effective tools to improve soil 
health, conserve water, conserve energy, and manage their natural 
hazard risks.
  Speaking of managing risks and improving safety, our bill also 
supports the Food and Drug Administration's critical mission to protect 
the safety and the security of our Nation's supply chains for food and 
for medicine.
  Our bill will also deliver important economic development investments 
to revitalize rural communities all across America. That includes 
support for the Rental Assistance Program at USDA that ensures 
Americans living in rural areas have access to safe and affordable 
housing.
  We also delivered vital investments in public safety for our rural 
communities. I was very proud to secure millions of dollars of Federal 
funding that will help communities all across New Mexico. From Taos 
County to Anthony and Portales to San Juan County, we were able to fund 
fire engines and ambulances and build new emergency response 
facilities.
  Finally, at a time of mounting international conflict and global food 
insecurity, we are reaffirming America's moral leadership in fighting 
hunger worldwide. Maintaining our support for international food aid 
programs not only demonstrates our Nation's commitment in the fight 
against hunger, but it helps us build new markets for our agricultural 
exports.
  As we drafted this bill and steered it through negotiations with the 
House, we had to make some very difficult decisions on how to best 
invest taxpayer dollars. We had to stay within the very thin margins 
for topline funding levels that were agreed to last year by President 
Biden and House Republican leadership. But I am very proud of where we 
landed in this comprehensive, bipartisan legislation.
  I especially want to thank the staff on the subcommittee for all the 
work they did to land this bill. I would just urge all of our 
colleagues to support these investments that will make a real 
difference for working families, for farmers who produce our food, and 
for rural economies.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. MANCHIN. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant executive clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.