[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 42 (Thursday, March 5, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H2427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       FOOD IS NATIONAL SECURITY

  (Mr. Costa of California was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, before I make my comments on a very important 
issue facing our country, let us all pause for a moment to recognize 
those six Americans who have lost their lives this week and their 
families, realizing that they have given their all. God bless them, and 
our thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about something that touches every 
family, as well, and every community, and that is hunger. Food, as I 
always say in the House Agriculture Committee, of which I am a member, 
is a national security issue. Food is a national security issue. Yet, 
we too often fail to treat it that way.
  When families cannot access healthy, affordable food, our communities 
are weaker, our economy is weaker, and our Nation is weaker.
  If we are a forced to import essential foods rather than grow them 
here in America, that leaves our Nation more vulnerable in an 
increasingly unstable world that we live in today.
  In our San Joaquin Valley, which I represent, one of the most 
productive agricultural regions in the country, farmers rise early in 
the morning to put food on America's dinner table. I know. I am a 
third-generation farmer and proud of it.
  California produces over 400 commodities, including more than 60 
percent of the Nation's fruits and vegetables. Over 80 percent of the 
citrus in the Nation is produced in California, along with 75 percent 
of the world's almonds and pistachios. Think about that: 75 percent in 
California.
  Yet, even communities that grow so much of our food, like in my 
district, nearly 30 percent of the households rely on food assistance. 
It is an interesting dichotomy. We have incredible food production that 
puts food on every American's dinner table every night with the help of 
farmworkers, yet a majority of those households, 30 percent of them in 
my district, require food assistance. It is sad. They depend upon food 
support for their food.
  Nationwide, 48 million people face food insecurity in our country, 
including 14 million children--14 million children--in the richest 
Nation in the world. This is unacceptable. At the same time, we know 
that grocery costs are up by as much as $400 a month for so many of our 
families throughout the country.
  Egg prices rose 53 percent over the year from January 2024 to January 
2025.
  In 2025, a gallon of whole milk averaged $4.
  Ground beef prices have risen 15 percent recently and are up 63 
percent since 2020.
  Americans who purchase their groceries every week know that the 
affordability of their food continues to become more challenging and 
more difficult.
  Last year, the United States Department of Agriculture canceled--
canceled--$1 billion in funding that schools and local food banks use 
to purchase food directly from local farmers. It was a great program 
and had a lot of merit. Why they canceled it, I do not know.
  Congress also enacted cuts totaling $186 billion in food assistance 
that resulted in more than 3 million people losing their food support 
entirely. That is disgraceful.
  Soon after, the United States Department of Agriculture terminated 
the annual Household Food Security report, the very report that told us 
that nearly 48 million Americans face food insecurity. What is that 
about? Without reliable data, we are left without a clear picture on 
who is struggling the most in our communities throughout our country.

  This week, the House marked up the farm bill, an important effort 
that we are supposed to do every 4 years. We are now into 5.5 years. We 
tried to strengthen the nutrition programs through amendments and 
legislation, but the Republicans defeated our efforts, sadly.
  We must stabilize farm income, or we will allow our producers to fall 
behind. Whether we invest in local food systems or just let them 
disappear, food is a national security issue. The farm bill affects 
grocery prices, crop insurance, school lunches, and rural economies.
  Mr. Speaker, we must pass a bipartisan farm bill this year, and I am 
doing everything I can by working with my colleagues across the aisle 
and the Senate because food is a national security issue. That is the 
bottom line.
  In the Central Valley that I represent, the San Joaquin Valley, 
families are spending over $1,000 a month on groceries. The 
affordability question is real.
  Farmers are navigating misguided tariffs policy, volatile markets, 
and disease outbreaks. In the richest country in the world, we should 
not accept a system where the hardest-working farmers see shrinking 
margins while families struggle to afford their groceries.
  Let's support our farmers. Let's feed our families. Let's feed our 
children.

                          ____________________