[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 20, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H2153-H2154]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUPPORTING AGRITOURISM

  (Mr. Subramanyam of Virginia was recognized to address the House for 
5 minutes.)
  Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the more 
than 28,000 farms that engage in agritourism across the country, 1,500 
of which are in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
  Agritourism, for those who don't know, is exactly what it sounds 
like. We are bringing tourists to farms or agricultural venues and 
offering experiences related to farming, rural life, and food.
  From wineries like Stone Tower in Leesburg, farm breweries like 
Wheatland Spring in Waterford, you-picks like Great Country Farms in 
Bluemont, and llama and alpaca farms like Double 8 Alpaca & Llama Ranch 
in Purcellville, agritourism offers growing opportunities for farms to 
diversify their revenues, connect with our communities, and become more 
resilient.
  Agritourism isn't just a trend or fad. It is an economic imperative 
for many farmers.
  In Virginia alone, agriculture is our number one industry, but the 
majority of farmers are not full-time farmers. They need ways to pay 
for taxes and maintenance of their land, and agritourism has helped 
families across Virginia do just that.
  This isn't just happening in Virginia. Agritourism is now a billion-
dollar industry across the country, and it keeps growing. It is 
revitalizing local, rural, and small-town workforces. The tourist 
dollars are also expanding hotels, restaurants, and businesses nearby.
  These farms also offer unique educational and recreational 
opportunities for children and families and help connect the public to 
our food systems. That is what I love about agritourism. It is a win-
win for everyone. Farmers get to share their work and support their 
farm, and visitors learn about where their food comes from, who grows 
the flowers they send on Mother's Day, and so much more.
  This year, my family picked tulips from Burnside Farms in Nokesville. 
We ate strawberries at the Strawberry Festival this past weekend at 
Wegmeyer Farms in Lincoln. We visited Cox Farms for their delicious 
cider donuts.
  For many farmers, there is a lot of uncertainty about Federal 
resources available to them and where they should go to ask questions 
about agritourism. Since agritourism is a form of nontraditional 
farming, the Federal Government simply hasn't done much to help the 
industry, which is why I am proud to work with Congressman Newhouse to 
introduce the bipartisan AGRITOURISM Act, which will ignite the 
industry and provide a one-stop shop of resources like grants, loans, 
and technical assistance for farmers who want to participate in 
agritourism.
  These resources will attract private investment not only in 
agritourism but also support tourism and hospitality industries in 
rural areas, which will keep our farms and rural communities strong, 
resilient, and thriving.
  I also plan to relaunch the bipartisan Agritourism Caucus with 
Congressman David Rouzer to highlight the progress of this industry and 
how we can continue to promote it. This was first championed by my 
predecessor, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to sign on to this bill and join 
the caucus when we relaunch it so that we can champion agritourism for 
farmers and rural communities across America.


                      Effects of Moody's Downgrade

  Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, Moody's, a credit rating firm, 
downgraded America's credit rating this past weekend. What does this 
mean? It is like when your credit score goes down. It will make it more 
expensive for a country to borrow money, and the interest rate on our 
$36 trillion debt will go up.
  How much do we spend on interest right now? In 2024, we paid $892 
billion in interest payments. That is 13 percent of our budget. That is 
more money than we spent on law enforcement, education, science, and 
transportation combined.
  Now, it is going to get worse because this one big, beautiful bill 
coming up is going to explode the deficit so we can give tax cuts to 
billionaires and the largest corporations while also slashing Medicaid, 
food assistance, and

[[Page H2154]]

other programs American families depend on.
  There is no fiscal responsibility in this bill, and this bill will 
add $5 trillion to the Federal debt.
  This credit downgrade should be a warning to reverse course. Instead, 
we seem to be heading straight for fiscal disaster, and we need to 
stand up to this.

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