[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H839]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       PROTECTING AGRICULTURE, THE BACKBONE OF DELAWARE'S ECONOMY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Delaware (Ms. McBride) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. McBRIDE. Mr. Speaker, last week, when the House was out of 
session and I was in the greatest State in the Union, Delaware, I met 
with a family farmer in Sussex County who continues to farm the same 
land that her family has farmed for more than a century. We discussed 
the fear and unpredictability that is plaguing farmers in Delaware and 
across the country right now, farmers who, since the New Deal, have 
been able to rely on the Federal Government as partners in their effort 
to produce the food that feeds our families, our neighbors, our Nation, 
and the world.
  Agriculture is the backbone of Delaware's economy. From poultry farms 
to vegetable growers to grain producers, Delaware farmers feed families 
here at home and around the globe and contribute to an industry that 
supports thousands of jobs in Delaware.
  Unfortunately, since taking office, the Trump administration has 
broken their promises to our families and breached the trust with our 
farmers.
  In week one, this administration illegally froze funding from the 
bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation 
Reduction Act, including vital resources that run through the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture. They have frozen programs that purchase 
products from Delaware farmers.
  As I stand here today, the Federal Government is withholding nearly 
$10 million owed to Delaware farmers to improve their infrastructure 
and lower their energy bills.
  At the heart of Delaware's agriculture industry are chickens. We have 
roughly 200 chickens per person in Delaware, and while Delaware doesn't 
have a ton of people, that is a lot of chickens.
  The rising crisis of bird flu poses a massive risk to Delaware 
farmers. It is a real and present danger to our food supply and to the 
livelihoods of poultry farmers across my State and across the country.
  Dangerously, this administration halted bird flu monitoring in nearly 
50 countries and imposed a gag order on Federal health agencies, 
limiting vital communication and collaboration with farmers. If that 
weren't bad enough, the very people we rely on to protect our ag 
industry and combat the spread of bird flu have been fired from the 
USDA.
  This chaos is only worsening the risk of disease spread and 
threatening a hallmark industry in Delaware.
  All of this has resulted in higher costs for farmers and higher 
prices at grocery stores for Americans. Instead of lowering the cost of 
eggs, they are actively making them more expensive.
  Anyone who knows a thing or two about agriculture and farming knows 
this: Farmers operate on thin margins. They depend on Federal partners 
to provide stability in a volatile market.
  Right now, with a Federal funding freeze, that support is vanishing 
when they need it the most. How are farmers supposed to plan for the 
next season when the Federal Government is pulling the rug out from 
under them?
  I don't care who you voted for in the last election. In fact, I made 
a commitment to serve all Delawareans--Democrats, Independents, and 
Republicans. My job, and the job of this great Chamber, is to serve and 
respect every American. That includes the farmers who feed our Nation.
  I will stand here in opposition to any executive or legislative 
action that puts our farmers at risk because when we fail farmers, we 
fail all Americans.

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