[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11330-11335]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2642, FEDERAL AGRICULTURE REFORM 
                    AND RISK MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2013

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Massachusetts is 
recognized.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Oregon 
(Ms. Bonamici) for a unanimous consent request.
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and 
extend my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the 
underlying bill because it will increase hunger in America.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Oregon?
  Mr. GOHMERT. I object.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Objection is heard.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my good friend, the gentleman 
from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy) for a unanimous consent request.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and 
extend my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the 
underlying bill because it takes food nutrition away from working 
families.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  Mr. GOHMERT. I object.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Objection is heard.


                         Parliamentary Inquiry

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Massachusetts will state 
his point of parliamentary inquiry.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Am I understanding the gentleman's objection correctly 
that what he is doing is not even giving Members on our side the 
courtesy of stating their statement in the Record?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state a proper 
parliamentary inquiry.
  Mr. McGOVERN. I'm trying to understand what the objection means of 
the gentleman from Texas. Does that mean that the statement that the 
gentleman from Massachusetts just made will not appear in the Record?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The objection was to the unanimous consent 
request.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, at this point I yield to the gentlewoman 
from New York (Mrs. Lowey), my good friend, for a unanimous consent 
request.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend 
my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the 
underlying bill because it hurts the working poor and takes food and 
nutrition from hardworking families.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from New York?
  Mr. GOHMERT. I object.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Objection is heard.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlelady from Nevada (Ms. 
Titus) for a unanimous consent request.
  Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend 
my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the 
underlying bill because it takes the safety net away from America and 
Nevada's poor families.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Nevada?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the 
District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) for a unanimous consent request.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend 
my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill and the underlying 
rule because it increases hunger and poverty in America.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
  Mr. GOHMERT. I object.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Objection is heard.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds.
  I think it is extremely unfortunate that Members on the other side of 
the

[[Page 11331]]

aisle would deny Members on this side of the aisle the ability to 
insert written materials in the Record. In all my years here, I have 
never seen such a discourteous gesture.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, at this time I am proud to yield 1 minute 
to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield).
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that the Republican Tea 
Party has a national agenda that is playing out right here in this 
Chamber today. You are attempting to defund food stamps--yes, you are--
and place poor people, which includes children and the elderly and 
veterans, in a position that none of you would want to be in.
  When it was time to reauthorize the farm bill, Republicans cut $16 
billion in food stamps. And what happened? The Speaker refused to 
schedule the bill for floor action, not because the cuts were too deep, 
but because they were not deep enough. And so the Ag Committee made 
deeper cuts, this time $20 billion in cuts. When the bill was debated, 
Republicans then added mean-spirit amendments that doomed the bill. Now 
you bring us another bill with no nutrition title at all.
  We cannot stand by and be silent when Republicans take these actions 
that offend what we are as Americans. We can do better than this.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to address their 
remarks to the Chair and not directly to other Members of the body in 
the second person.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. 
Blumenauer).
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the relentless focus on the 
nutrition programs at risk; but remember, this is going to be the 
costliest farm bill in history. It contains no reform. It concentrates 
Federal cash on the largest, most profitable agribusiness. It 
shortchanges conservation, guts protection for wetlands, prairies, and 
forests. It rewards government dependency, not innovation.
  You have managed to unite the Environmental Working Group, the Farm 
Bureau, and the Club for Growth in opposition. Congratulations.
  Please reject the rule and the underlying bill.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I believe it's important for us to 
understand what's in the bill, and I'd like to yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), the chairman of the Agriculture 
Committee.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I would have preferred to focus my time in 
the general debate, and that's still my intention. The rule debate 
historically, as we all know in this body, is more of a partisan 
discussion, generally less focused on the details of the bill than the 
intensity of the process or the perspective by which the next action 
takes place. I understand that.
  But I would say to my friends, and I will go into greater detail on 
this in just a little bit, remember what you are about to vote on, a 
rule to enable us to proceed to a vote entails, is consideration of a 
bill that took two markups over 2 years in committee, where 100 
amendments were considered in both markups, a process by which a bill 
to the floor a couple of weeks ago subject to another 100 amendments, 
tremendous debate, tremendous discussion, yet a bill that could not 
quite get the muster of both the left and the right.

                              {time}  1230

  So we wound up a little short in the middle. What you're voting on 
today is the farm bill farm bill. It's what a lot of the folks back 
home have said for years they want: consider every issue on its own 
merit. Well, now, we're about to vote for a rule that will make that 
possible.
  But in the farm bill farm bill, we achieve savings in the commodity 
title, do away with the direct payments, that thing that's caused such 
great angst--people getting money for not doing anything. That's gone, 
a substantial number of billions of dollars in savings.
  Now, the committee had the spirit to believe that every part of the 
existing farm bill policy should save resources, so we save money in 
the conservation title, $6 billion. We consolidate programs. We 
refocus.
  I would say to all my friends on the floor, vote for the rule. Give 
us a chance to proceed to the bill so that we can consider a farm bill 
farm bill.
  I can assure all of you that I have given my word to the members of 
the Rules Committee, to Members on each side of this Chamber that the 
committee will work hard to achieve a consensus on a nutrition bill. I 
don't know what kind of a consensus that will be yet. It probably won't 
satisfy both of my friends on each side of the room to the extreme.
  But we, in good faith, did our work. Give us a chance to consider the 
merits of our reform-minded bill. Give us a chance, then, to address 
the nutrition title. Let the place work. Let the place work.
  I thank the chairman of the Rules Committee for yielding some time to 
me. I ask my colleagues to vote for this.
  I would tell you, if anything, part of the biggest problem with the 
bill 2 weeks ago was we saved money everywhere; and for some reason, no 
one ever wants to give anything up in this place.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. SESSIONS. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.
  Mr. LUCAS. Sometimes you have to have reform. Sometimes you have to 
do things differently. But at least the Ag Committee chose to make the 
reforms across our jurisdiction, to make everybody have a stake in the 
savings.
  I know that's contrary to how the place works; but for one time, 
maybe, this session, or this day, or this year, or this decade, let's 
try it the old way. Let's try and look at the issue. Let's try to be 
fair and equitable to everyone, and let's do the legislative work to 
get, ultimately, to where we need to be.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to insert in the Record the 
letter from Taxpayers for Common Sense against this bill. I'd like to 
also insert in the Record a letter from over 500 farm groups and 
conservation groups that oppose this bill.
  I also want to point out to my colleagues, the CBO estimates that 
this bill, as written, will add $1.3 billion to the deficit in 2014.

       House Leadership Proposes Outspending Senate in Farm Bill

       Fresh on the heels of losing a Farm Bill vote on the Floor 
     because the rushed bill did not cut spending enough, House 
     leadership is floating another plan to keep the checks 
     flowing to agriculture special interests: strip out nutrition 
     programs and pass an Ag-only Farm Bill that spends more than 
     one passed by a Democrat-controlled Senate. In fact it would 
     spend drastically more than either the comparable portions of 
     the President's FY14 budget request or Rep. Paul Ryan's FY14 
     budget (which called for $38 billion and $31 billion in 
     savings, respectively).
       That's right, the Republican House majority leadership is 
     pushing a bill that would save less than they promised, 
     President Obama proposed, or the Senate adopted.
       The Ag-only Farm Bill shows just how resistant House 
     lawmakers are to reining in our nation's deficits.
       House Ag-only Farm Bill Savings: $12.8 billion.
       Senate Ag-only Farm Bill Savings: $13.9 billion.
       Splitting nutrition and agriculture programs into separate 
     bills is a good idea, but only because it would break the Ag-
     Urban unholy alliance that logrolled over attempts to reform 
     both programs. To deny amendments and reforms would make 
     bifurcation virtually meaningless. Each bill must be open to 
     robust debate to ensure taxpayers are footing the bill for 
     only the most cost-effective, accountable, transparent, and 
     responsive safety net for farmers and the hungry poor.
       An Ag-only Farm Bill the likes of H.R. 1947 is the opposite 
     of reform. It would:
       Cannibalize savings to create new generous shallow loss 
     entitlement programs.
       Resurrect goverment-set target prices that are higher than 
     in the Senate bill.
       Exclude all common sense steps toward right-sizing the 
     federally subsidized crop insurance program--which was 
     estimated to cost taxpayers a record $14 billion in FY12. No 
     means testing to exclude millionaire businessmen, no limit on 
     subsidies, zero cuts

[[Page 11332]]

     to insurance company delivery subsidies, and no transparency 
     on who is benefiting from taxpayer spending.
       Increase spending on subsidized crop insurance by $9 
     billion.
       But that's not all, the House bill would:
       Increase FY14 spending by $1.34 billion above the current 
     baseline.
       Only save $3.9 billion over the life of the actual bill 
     (FY14-18) with the rest ($9 billion) occurring after this 
     farm bill expires in FY18.
       If Congress simply eliminated direct payments and the 
     failed Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program (which 
     nearly everyone agrees needs to happen), taxpayers would save 
     nearly $50 billion. Adding in a few common sense reforms to 
     the highly subsidized crop insurance program (instead of 
     shoveling $9 billion in new special interest subsidies) would 
     easily save taxpayers $100 billion or more.
       Splitting the bill should be used to get better reforms out 
     of both nutrition programs and the rest of the farm bill 
     instead of just using it as a tactic to get to a conference 
     committee to protect agriculture and nutrition's sacred cows. 
     Simply divorcing the two with no opportunity for additional 
     reforms isn't acceptable when our nation faces a $16.8 
     trillion debt. Instead of eventually sticking taxpayers with 
     a trillion dollar farm bill that barely puts a dent in the 
     deficit, lawmakers need to go back to the drawing board and 
     come up with a fiscally responsible solution that enacts a 
     more cost-effective, accountable, transparent, and responsive 
     farm safety net.
                                  ____

                                                     July 2, 2013.
     Hon. John Boehner,
     Speaker, House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Speaker Boehner: America's agriculture, conservation, 
     rural development, finance, forestry, energy and crop 
     insurance companies and organizations strongly urge you to 
     bring the Farm Bill (H.R. 1947, the Federal Agriculture 
     Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013) back to the Floor as 
     soon as possible. This important legislation supports our 
     nation's farmers, ranchers, forest owners, food security, 
     natural resources and wildlife habitats, rural communities, 
     and the 16 million Americans whose jobs directly depend on 
     the agriculture industry.
       Farm bills represent a delicate balance between America's 
     farm, nutrition, conservation, and other priorities, and 
     accordingly require strong bipartisan support. It is vital 
     for the House to try once again to bring together a broad 
     coalition of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to 
     provide certainty for farmers, rural America, the environment 
     and our economy in general and pass a five-year farm bill 
     upon returning in July. We believe that splitting the 
     nutrition title from the rest of the bill could result in 
     neither farm nor nutrition programs passing, and urge you to 
     move a unified farm bill forward.
       Thank you for your support. We look forward to our 
     continued dialogue as the process moves forward and stand 
     ready to work with you to complete passage of the new five-
     year Farm Bill before the current law expires again on 
     September 30, 2013.
           Sincerely,
       1st Farm Credit Services, 25x'25, Advanced Biofuels 
     Association, Ag Credit, ACA, AgChoice, AgGeorgia, AgHeritage 
     Farm Credit Services, AgriBank, Agriculture Council of 
     Arkansas, Agriculture Energy Coalition.
       Agricultural Retailers Association, AgriLand, Agri-Mark, 
     Inc., AgCarolina, AgCountry, AgFirst, AgPreference, AgSouth, 
     AgStar Financial Services, ACA, AgTexas, Alabama Ag Credit, 
     Alabama Cotton Commission, Alabama Dairy Producers, Alabama 
     Farm Credit, Alabama Farmers Cooperative, Alabama Farmers 
     Federation.
       Alabama Pork Producers, Alaska Farmers Union, American 
     AgCredit, American Agriculture Movement, American Association 
     of Avian Pathologists, American Association of Bovine 
     Practitioners, American Association of Crop Insurers, 
     American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners, 
     American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, 
     American Bankers Association, American Beekeeping Federation, 
     American Biogas Council, American Coalition for Ethanol, 
     American Cotton Shippers Association, American Crystal Sugar 
     Company, American Dairy Science Association.
       American Farm Bureau Federation, American Farmers and 
     Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company, American Farmland Trust, 
     American Feed Industry Association, American Fruit and 
     Vegetable Processors and Growers Coalition, American Forest 
     Foundation, American Forest Resource Council, American 
     Forests, American Honey Producers Association, American 
     Malting Barley Association, American Pulse Association, 
     American Public Works Association, American Sheep Industry 
     Association, American Society of Agronomy, American Sugar 
     Alliance, American Sugar Cane League.
       American Sugarbeet Growers Association, American Society of 
     Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, American Soybean 
     Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, Animal 
     Agriculture Coalition, Animal Health Institute, WAArborOne, 
     Archery Trade Association, Arizona Farm Bureau Federation, 
     Arizona Bioindustry Association, Arizona Wool Producers 
     Association, Arkansas Farm Bureau, Arkansas Farmers Union, 
     Arkansas Rice Federation, Arkansas Rice Producers' Group, 
     Arkansas State Sheep Council.
       Associated Logging Contractors--Idaho, Associated Milk 
     Producers, Inc., Associated Oregon Loggers, Association of 
     American Veterinary Medical Colleges, Association of 
     Equipment Manufacturers, Association of Fish and Wildlife 
     Agencies, Association of Veterinary Biologics Companies, 
     Badgerland Financial, Bio Nebraska Life Sciences Association, 
     BioForward, Biotechnology Industry Organization, Black Hills 
     Forest Resource Association, Bongard's Creamery, Boone and 
     Crockett Club, Bowhunting Preservation Alliance, Calcot.
       California Agricultural Irrigation Association, California 
     Association of Resource Conservation Districts, California 
     Association of Winegrape Growers, California Avocado 
     Commission, California Canning Peach Association, California 
     Farm Bureau Federation, California Farmers Union, California 
     Forestry Association, California Pork Producers Association, 
     California Wool Growers Association, Calvin Viator, Ph.D. and 
     Associates, LLC, The Campbell Group, Can Manufacturers 
     Institute, Canned Food Alliance, Cape Fear Farm Credit, 
     Capital Farm Credit.
       Carolina Cotton Growers Cooperative, Catch-A-Dream 
     Foundation, Catfish Farmers of America, Central Kentucky, 
     ACA, Ceres Solutions LLP, Chrisholm Trail Farm Credit, CHS, 
     Inc., CoBank, Colonial Farm Credit, Colorado BioScience 
     Association, Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Timber Industry 
     Association, Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, 
     Connecticut Forest & Park Association, Connecticut United for 
     Research Excellence, Inc., The Conservation Fund.
       Continental Dairy Products, Inc, Cooperative Credit 
     Company, Cooperative Network, Cora-Texas Mfg. Co., Inc., Corn 
     Producers Association of Texas, Cotton Growers Warehouse 
     Association, Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, 
     Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau, Crop Insurance 
     Professionals Association, Crop Science Society of America, 
     CropLife America, Dairy Farmers of America, Dairy Farmers 
     Working Together, Dairy Producers of Utah, Dairylea 
     Cooperative Inc., Darigold, Inc.
       Delta Council, Delta Waterfowl, Deltic Timber Corporation, 
     Ducks Unlimited, DUDA (A. Duda & Sons, Inc.), Eastern 
     Regional Conference of Council of State Governments, Empire 
     State Forest Products Association, Environmental and Energy 
     Study Institute, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Family 
     Farm Alliance, Family Forest Foundation--Washington, Farm 
     Credit Bank of Texas, Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation, 
     Farm Credit Council, Farm Credit Council Services, Farm 
     Credit East.
       Farm Credit MidSouth, Farm Credit of Central Florida, Farm 
     Credit of Central Oklahoma, Farm Credit of Enid, Farm Credit 
     of Florida, Farm Credit of Maine, Farm Credit of Ness City, 
     Farm Credit of New Mexico, Farm Credit of North West Florida, 
     Farm Credit of Southern Colorado, Farm Credit of SW Kansas, 
     Farm Credit of Western Arkansas, Farm Credit of Western 
     Kansas, Farm Credit of Western Oklahoma, Farm Credit Services 
     of America, Farm Credit Services of Illinois.
       Farm Credit South, Farm Credit Virginias, Farm Credit West, 
     Farmer Mac, FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative, FCS Financial, FCS 
     of America, FCS of Colusa-Glenn, FCS of East/Central 
     Oklahoma, FCS of Hawaii, FCS of Illinois, FCS of Mandan, FCS 
     of Mid-America, FCS of North Dakota, FCS of Southwest, 
     Federation of Animal Science Societies.
       First District Association, First FCS, First South Farm 
     Credit, FLBA of Kingsburg, Florida Fruit and Vegetable 
     Association, Florida Sugar Cane League, Forest Investment 
     Associates, Forest Landowners Association, Forest Products 
     National Labor Management Committee, Forest Resource 
     Association Inc., Fresno-Madera Farm Credit, Frontier Farm 
     Credit, Fruit Growers Supply Company, Georgia Agribusiness 
     Council, Georgia Farm Bureau Federation, Georgia Forestry 
     Association.
       Georgia Pork Producers Association, Giustina Resources, 
     LLC, Global Forest Partners LP, GMO Renewable Resources, 
     Great Plains Ag Credit, Great Plains Canola Association, 
     Green Diamond Resource Company, Greenstone, GROWMARK, Inc, 
     Growth Energy, Hancock Timber Resource Group, Hardwood 
     Federation, Hawaii Farmers Union, Hawaii Sugar Farmers, 
     Heritage Land Bank, Holstein Association USA.
       Idaho Ag Credit, Idaho Dairymen's Association, Idaho 
     Farmers Union, Idaho Forest Group, Idaho Forest Owners 
     Association, Idaho Grain Producers Association, Illinois 
     Biotechnology Industry Organization--iBIO', 
     Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Farmers Union, Illinois Pork 
     Producers Association, Independent Beef Association of North 
     Dakota, Independent Community Bankers of America, Indiana 
     Farm Bureau, Inc., Indiana Farmers Union, Indiana Health 
     Industry Forum, Innovative Mississippi--Strategic Biomass 
     Solutions.
       Intermountain Forest Association, Intertribal Agriculture 
     Council, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Farmers Union, 
     Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Sheep Industry 
     Association, IowaBio, Irrigation Association, Irving 
     Woodlands, LLC, Izaak

[[Page 11333]]

     Walton League of America, John Deere Crop Insurance, Kansas 
     Cooperative Council, Kansas Dairy, Kansas Farm Bureau, Kansas 
     Farmers Union, Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association.
       Kansas Pork Association, Kansas Sheep Association, Kentucky 
     Forest Industries Association, Kentucky Pork Producers 
     Association, Land Improvement Contractors of America, Land 
     O'Lakes, Land Stewardship Project, Land Trust Alliance, Lone 
     Rock Timber Management Co., Longview Timber LLC, Louisiana 
     Farm Bureau Federation, Inc., Louisiana Forest Association, 
     Louisiana Rice Growers Association, Louisiana Rice Producers' 
     Group, Louisiana Sugar Cane Cooperative, Inc., Lula-
     Westfield, LLC.
       Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative, Maryland 
     Association of Soil Conservation Districts, Maryland Farm 
     Bureau, Inc., Maryland Grain Producers Association, Maryland 
     Sheep Breeders' Association, Inc., Massachusetts Farm Bureau 
     Federation, Inc., Massachusetts Forest Alliance, MassBio, MBG 
     Marketing/The Blueberry People, Michigan Agri-Business 
     Association, Michigan Farm Bureau, Michigan Farmers Union, 
     Michigan Pork Producers Association, Michigan Sugar Company, 
     Michigan-California Timber Company, Mid-West Dairymen's Co.
       MidAtlantic Farm Credit, Midwest Dairy Coalition, Midwest 
     Environmental Advocates, Midwest Food Processors Association, 
     Milk Producers Council, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative, 
     Minnesota Canola Council, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, 
     Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation, Minnesota Farmers Union, 
     Minnesota Forest Industries, Minnesota Grain & Feed 
     Association, Minnesota Lamb & Wool Producers, Minnesota Pork 
     Producers Association, Minnesota Timber Producers 
     Association, Mississippi River Trust.
       Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Missouri Dairy 
     Association, Missouri Farm Bureau Federation, Missouri 
     Farmers Union, Missouri Pork Association, Missouri Sheep 
     Producers, Missouri Soybean Association, The Molpus Woodlands 
     Group, Montana Grain Growers Association, Montana Farmers 
     Union, Mule Deer Foundation, National Association of 
     Counties, National Association of State Departments of 
     Agriculture, National All-Jersey, National Alliance of Forest 
     Owners, National Association for the Advancement of Animal 
     Science.
       National Association of Clean Water Agencies, National 
     Association of Conservation Districts, National Association 
     of Farmer Elected Committees, National Association of Federal 
     Veterinarians, National Association of Forest Service 
     Retirees, National Association of FSA County Office 
     Employees, National Association of Resource Conservation & 
     Development Councils, National Association of State 
     Conservation Agencies, National Association of State 
     Foresters, National Association of University Forest Resource 
     Programs, National Association of Wheat Growers, National 
     Barley Growers Association, National Bobwhite Conservation 
     Initiative, National Catholic Rural Life Conference, National 
     Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research, National 
     Conservation District Employees Association.
       National Corn Growers Association, National Cotton Council, 
     National Cotton Ginners' Association, National Council of 
     Farmer Cooperatives, National Farmers Union, National Farm to 
     School Network, National Grange, National Grape Cooperative 
     Association, Inc., National Milk Producers Federation, 
     National Network of Forest Practitioners, National Pork 
     Producers Council, National Renderers Association, National 
     Rural Electric Cooperative Association, National Sorghum 
     Producers, National Sunflower Association, National Trappers 
     Association.
       National Wild Turkey Federation, National Woodland Owners 
     Association, Nebraska Cooperative Council, Nebraska Farm 
     Bureau Federation, Nebraska Farmers Union, Nebraska Pork 
     Producers Association, Nevada Farm Bureau Federation, Nevada 
     Wool Growers Association, New England Farmers Union, New 
     Jersey Farm Bureau, New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, New 
     Mexico Sorghum Association, New York Farm Bureau, Inc., New 
     York Forest Owners Association, Nexsteppe, North American 
     Grouse Partnership.
       North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Inc, North Carolina 
     Forestry Association, North Carolina Pork Council, North 
     Dakota Farmers Union, North Dakota Lamb & Wool Producers, 
     North Dakota Pork Producers Council, Northarvest Bean Growers 
     Association, Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperatives, Northeast 
     States Association for Agricultural Stewardship, Northern 
     California Farm Credit, Northern Canola Growers Association, 
     Northern Forest Center, Northern Pulse Growers Association, 
     Northwest Dairy Association, Northwest Farm Credit Services, 
     Novozymes North America Inc.
       Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, 
     Inc., Ohio Farmers Union, Ohio Pork Producers Council, 
     Oklahoma Agribusiness Retailers Association, Oklahoma 
     Agricultural Cooperative Council, Oklahoma Farmers Union, 
     Oklahoma Grain & Feed Association, Oklahoma Pork Council, 
     Oklahoma Seed Trade Association, Oklahoma Sorghum 
     Association, Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association, Oregon 
     Association of Nurseries, Oregon Cherry Growers, Inc., Oregon 
     Dairy Farmers Association, Oregon Farmers Union.
       Oregon Sheep Growers Association, Oregon Small Woodland 
     Association, Oregon Women in Timber, Orion the Hunter's 
     Institute, Panhandle-Plains Land Bank, Partners for 
     Sustainable Pollination, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, 
     Pennsylvania Farmers Union, Pennsylvania Forest Products 
     Association, Pheasants Forever, Plains Cotton Cooperative 
     Association, Plains Cotton Growers, Inc., Plum Creek Timber 
     Company, Pollinator Partnership, Pope and Young Club, Port 
     Blakely Tree Farms, LP.
       Potlatch Corporation, Prairie Rivers Network, Premier Farm 
     Credit, Puerto Rico Farm Credit, Quality Deer Management 
     Association, Quail Forever, Rayonier Inc., Red Gold, Inc, Red 
     River Forests, LLC, Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers 
     Association, Renewable Fuels Association, Resource Management 
     Service, LLC, Rhode Island Sheep Cooperative, Rio Grande 
     Valley Sugar Growers, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Rolling 
     Plains Cotton Growers, Inc.
       Ruffed Grouse Society, The Rural Broadband Association, 
     Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Select Milk 
     Producers, Inc. Seneca Foods, Shasta Forests Timberlands, 
     LLC, Sidney Sugars, Inc., Sierra Pacific Industries, Society 
     of American Foresters, Soil and Water Conservation Society, 
     Soil Science Society of America, South Carolina Farm Bureau 
     Federation, South Dakota Association of Cooperatives, South 
     Dakota Biotech Association, South Dakota Farmers Union, South 
     Dakota Pork Producers.
       South Dakota Wheat Growers, South East Dairy Farmers 
     Association, Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association, 
     South Texas Cotton and Grain Association, Southeast Milk 
     Inc., Southern Cotton Growers, Inc., Southern Minnesota Beet 
     Sugar Cooperative, Southern Peanut Farmers Federation, 
     Southern Rolling Plains Cotton Growers Association of Texas, 
     Southern States Cooperative, Inc., Southwest Council of 
     Agribusiness, Southwest Georgia Farm Credit, St. Albans 
     Cooperative, Staplcotn, State Agriculture and Rural Leaders, 
     Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida.
       Sustainable Forest Initiative, Sustainable Northwest, 
     Tennessee Clean Water Network, Tennessee Farm Bureau 
     Federation, Tennessee Forestry Association, Tennessee 
     Renewable Energy & Economic Development Council, Texas Ag 
     Finance, Texas Agricultural Cooperative Council, Texas 
     Farmers Union, Texas Forestry Association, Texas Healthcare 
     and Bioscience Institute, Texas Land Bank, Texas Pork 
     Producers Association, Texas Rice Producers Legislative 
     Group, Texas Sheep & Goat Raisers' Association, Timberland 
     Investment Resources.
        Timber Products Company, The Amalgamated Sugar Company, 
     The Bank of Commerce, The Nature Conservancy, The Small 
     Woodland Owners Association of Maine, Theodore Roosevelt 
     Conservation Partnership, Trust for Public Land, United 
     Dairymen of Arizona, United FCS, U.S. Animal Health 
     Association, U.S. Beet Sugar Association, U.S. Canola 
     Association, U.S. Cattlemen's Association, U.S. Dry Bean 
     Council, U.S. Pea & Lentil Trade Association, U.S. Rice 
     Producers Association.
       U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council, 
     USA Rice Federation, Utah Farmers Union, Utah Wool Growers 
     Association, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, Virginia 
     Forestry Association, Virginia Grain Producers Association, 
     Virginia Pork Industry Board, Virginia Nursery & Landscape 
     Association, Virginia State Dairymen's Association, 
     Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association, Washington 
     Farm Bureau, Washington Farmers Union.
       Washington State Council of Farmer Cooperatives, Washington 
     State Dairy Federation, Welch Foods Inc., A Cooperative, 
     Wells Timberland REIT, Western AgCredit, Western Growers, 
     Western Pea & Lentil Growers, Western Peanut Growers 
     Association, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Western Sugar 
     Cooperative, Western United Dairymen, The Westervelt Company, 
     Weyerhaeuser Company, Whitetails Unlimited, Inc.
       Wild Sheep Foundation, Wildlife Forever, Wildlife 
     Management Institute, Wildlife Mississippi, Wisconsin Agri-
     Business Association, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Wisconsin 
     Paper Council, Wisconsin Pork Association, Wisconsin Woodland 
     Owners Association, Women Involved in Farm Economics, World 
     Wildlife Fund, Wyoming Sugar Company, Yankee Farm Credit, 
     Yosemite Farm Credit.

  Mr. McGOVERN. At this point I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).
  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, this is a shameful day. The House 
Republican leadership has decided again to abandon all efforts to come 
to a bipartisan agreement on the farm bill. Instead, they've launched 
an attack--on the working poor, veterans, children and seniors who rely 
on the nutrition program--in a desperate attempt to win political 
points with their conservative base.

[[Page 11334]]

  After an embarrassing, chaotic defeat of their last proposal, they've 
decided to make a bad situation even worse. This proposal strips out 
the entire nutrition title, putting families and children at risk of 
going hungry.
  They made a clear choice to protect generous subsidies for 
agriculture corporations at the expense of the hungry and the working 
poor.
  Make no mistake: today, House Republicans are telling hungry 
children, food banks struggling to meet the needs of their communities, 
and low-income seniors who depend on food assistance that their needs 
don't matter.
  And I urge my colleagues to understand that for 180,000 Rhode 
Islanders who benefit from this nutrition program, they are not 
extraneous. This is disgraceful, it's immoral, and it's contrary to our 
values as a Nation.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this shameful proposal.
  Mr. SESSIONS. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield for a unanimous consent request to 
the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano).
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and 
extend my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the 
underlying bill because it takes food nutrition from working families.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  Mr. GOHMERT. I object.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Objection is heard.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to yield for a unanimous consent 
request to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch).
  Mr. WELCH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend 
my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the 
underlying bill because it takes food nutrition from working families.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Vermont?
  Mr. GOHMERT. I object.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Objection is heard.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. I have 
no additional speakers except myself when I close.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I'm the final speaker on our side, so I 
yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, this is about our values. This is about what we stand 
for.
  The constant attacks by some of my Republican friends, by many on the 
other side of the aisle, on SNAP, on poor people, on the vulnerable is 
just plain wrong. And, quite frankly, it's offensive.
  Three weeks ago, this farm bill failed in this House because the 
Republicans cannot govern. You know, you are in control. Sixty-two of 
your Members, including five committee chairs, voted ``no.''
  To suggest that somehow Democrats should have carried this bill is 
ludicrous because I want to make one thing clear: we are not going to 
vote for a bill that sticks it to poor people, and that's exactly what 
this bill does.
  The bill that you had on the floor that threw 2 million people off 
SNAP was unacceptable, and we could not vote for that.
  There are 50 million people in this country who are hungry; 17 
million of them are children. Millions of people who are on SNAP work 
for a living. They go to work every day; but they earn so little, they 
still qualify for this benefit.
  These are our neighbors. These are our brothers; these are our 
sisters. Please do not turn your backs on them. Please do not turn your 
backs on these people. We are a better country than that.
  Please don't be so callous, because that's what this is about, when 
you throw 2 million people off this benefit, or even more. Because we 
have no idea what was promised to get votes on this current bill right 
now. We have no idea how much you're going to cut the SNAP program or 
whether you're going to sunset it, because none of us know what was 
decided in the Republican Conference.
  But when you cut people who are poor, when you deny them the benefit 
of food, which should be a right in this country, that is callous. That 
is cruel. We should not be doing that.
  We should be about helping people, not hurting people. So have a 
heart.
  Where's your conscience?
  What makes this country great, what makes America great is that we've 
had a tradition for caring for the least among us. That's why we're so 
angry over here, because all of a sudden it seems like we're turning 
our backs on the poor.
  There used to be a bipartisan consensus when it came to making sure 
that the hungry in this country get enough to eat. There's a long 
history of bipartisanship on this.
  All of a sudden this has become a partisan issue, and the target, so 
that you can try to balance the budget, has been placed right on the 
programs like SNAP, nutrition programs, programs that feed our senior 
citizens, provide our children meals in schools.
  You've even gone after WIC. Enough. Enough. We can do better. We can 
have a bipartisan farm bill if you will move over to our side and 
understand that we have an obligation to take care of the most 
vulnerable.
  So vote ``no'' on this rule. Vote ``no'' on the underlying bill. We 
can do so much better.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to address their 
remarks to the Chair, not to other Members of the body in the second 
person.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remaining time.
  I believe that the gentleman from Oklahoma represents not just the 
conscience of my party, but also of the Members of the House of 
Representatives. I think he well and faithfully is attempting to do his 
job; and it is this body today that will have an opportunity, after 
hearing the gentleman from Oklahoma speak about not just his desire, 
but his leadership on behalf of the Agriculture Committee.
  As he approached the Rules Committee last night, he spoke very 
clearly and eloquently and said it is his desire to have the farm bill 
farm bill, as he calls it, to be able to be before this body today 
where we can pass good and wise farm bill policy.
  He also stated, before not only all the Members, but also in 
testimony that he presented to the committee, that it is his intent to 
follow up today's bill, farm bill farm bill, with a nutrition program 
bill that he would bring to the Rules Committee for this House to 
consider.
  This man has worked on a bipartisan basis and, I believe, should have 
the admiration and respect of this body. But more importantly, the 
gentleman placed his word of what he's trying to do before this body. I 
think he is a sincere and honest man.
  It is my intent, as the chairman of the Rules Committee, as it was 
last night, to say to this body today, this bill, farm bill farm bill, 
that is before you does appropriate and good things for farmers and for 
people who make a living and provide this country with the agriculture 
and products it needs. We are trying to make sure that that is 
faithfully and well done today.
  I believe the gentleman from Oklahoma deserves the respect of this 
body, and I would ask for each and every one of us to please vote 
``yes'' on this rule and the underlying legislation.
  I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question 
on the resolution.
  The previous question was ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.


                             Recorded Vote

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
  A recorded vote was ordered.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 223, 
noes 195, not voting 16, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 349]

                               AYES--223

     Aderholt
     Alexander
     Amash
     Amodei
     Bachmann
     Bachus

[[Page 11335]]


     Barletta
     Barr
     Barton
     Benishek
     Bentivolio
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (UT)
     Black
     Blackburn
     Bonner
     Boustany
     Brady (TX)
     Bridenstine
     Brooks (AL)
     Brooks (IN)
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Burgess
     Calvert
     Camp
     Cantor
     Capito
     Carter
     Chabot
     Chaffetz
     Coble
     Coffman
     Cole
     Collins (GA)
     Collins (NY)
     Conaway
     Cook
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Culberson
     Daines
     Davis, Rodney
     Denham
     Dent
     DeSantis
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Duffy
     Duncan (SC)
     Duncan (TN)
     Ellmers
     Farenthold
     Fincher
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Fleming
     Flores
     Forbes
     Fortenberry
     Foxx
     Franks (AZ)
     Frelinghuysen
     Gardner
     Garrett
     Gerlach
     Gibbs
     Gibson
     Gingrey (GA)
     Goodlatte
     Gosar
     Gowdy
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (MO)
     Griffin (AR)
     Griffith (VA)
     Grimm
     Guthrie
     Hall
     Hanna
     Harper
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Hastings (WA)
     Heck (NV)
     Hensarling
     Herrera Beutler
     Holding
     Hudson
     Huelskamp
     Huizenga (MI)
     Hultgren
     Hurt
     Issa
     Jenkins
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jordan
     Joyce
     Kelly (PA)
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kingston
     Kinzinger (IL)
     Kline
     Labrador
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Lance
     Lankford
     Latham
     Latta
     LoBiondo
     Long
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Marchant
     Marino
     Massie
     McCarthy (CA)
     McCaul
     McClintock
     McHenry
     McKeon
     McKinley
     McMorris Rodgers
     Meadows
     Meehan
     Messer
     Mica
     Miller (FL)
     Miller (MI)
     Miller, Gary
     Mullin
     Mulvaney
     Murphy (PA)
     Neugebauer
     Noem
     Nugent
     Nunes
     Nunnelee
     Olson
     Palazzo
     Paulsen
     Pearce
     Perry
     Petri
     Pittenger
     Pitts
     Poe (TX)
     Pompeo
     Posey
     Price (GA)
     Radel
     Reed
     Reichert
     Renacci
     Ribble
     Rice (SC)
     Rigell
     Roby
     Roe (TN)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rohrabacher
     Rokita
     Rooney
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roskam
     Ross
     Rothfus
     Royce
     Runyan
     Ryan (WI)
     Salmon
     Sanford
     Scalise
     Schock
     Scott, Austin
     Sensenbrenner
     Sessions
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Southerland
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Stockman
     Stutzman
     Terry
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Tiberi
     Tipton
     Turner
     Upton
     Valadao
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walorski
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westmoreland
     Whitfield
     Williams
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Wolf
     Womack
     Woodall
     Yoder
     Yoho
     Young (AK)
     Young (FL)
     Young (IN)

                               NOES--195

     Andrews
     Barber
     Barrow (GA)
     Bass
     Beatty
     Becerra
     Bera (CA)
     Bishop (GA)
     Bishop (NY)
     Blumenauer
     Bonamici
     Brady (PA)
     Braley (IA)
     Brown (FL)
     Brownley (CA)
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Capps
     Capuano
     Cardenas
     Carney
     Cartwright
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Chu
     Cicilline
     Clarke
     Clay
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Conyers
     Cooper
     Costa
     Courtney
     Crowley
     Cuellar
     Cummings
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Danny
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     Delaney
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Deutch
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Doyle
     Duckworth
     Edwards
     Ellison
     Engel
     Enyart
     Eshoo
     Esty
     Farr
     Fattah
     Foster
     Frankel (FL)
     Fudge
     Gabbard
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Garcia
     Grayson
     Green, Al
     Green, Gene
     Grijalva
     Gutierrez
     Hahn
     Hanabusa
     Hastings (FL)
     Heck (WA)
     Higgins
     Himes
     Hinojosa
     Honda
     Hoyer
     Huffman
     Israel
     Jackson Lee
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Jones
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Kennedy
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kind
     Kirkpatrick
     Kuster
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lee (CA)
     Levin
     Lewis
     Lipinski
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Lujan Grisham (NM)
     Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
     Lynch
     Maffei
     Maloney, Carolyn
     Maloney, Sean
     Matheson
     Matsui
     McCollum
     McDermott
     McGovern
     McIntyre
     McNerney
     Meeks
     Meng
     Michaud
     Miller, George
     Moore
     Moran
     Murphy (FL)
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Nolan
     O'Rourke
     Owens
     Pallone
     Pascrell
     Pastor (AZ)
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Perlmutter
     Peters (CA)
     Peters (MI)
     Peterson
     Pingree (ME)
     Pocan
     Polis
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Rahall
     Rangel
     Richmond
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Ryan (OH)
     Sanchez, Linda T.
     Sanchez, Loretta
     Sarbanes
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schrader
     Schwartz
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sewell (AL)
     Shea-Porter
     Sherman
     Sinema
     Sires
     Slaughter
     Smith (WA)
     Speier
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Tierney
     Titus
     Tonko
     Tsongas
     Van Hollen
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Walz
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Watt
     Waxman
     Welch
     Wilson (FL)
     Yarmuth

                             NOT VOTING--16

     Broun (GA)
     Campbell
     Carson (IN)
     Cassidy
     Gohmert
     Holt
     Horsford
     Hunter
     Kaptur
     Lummis
     Markey
     McCarthy (NY)
     Negrete McLeod
     Rogers (MI)
     Schweikert
     Shimkus

                              {time}  1300

  Mr. BEN RAY LUJAN of New Mexico changed his vote from ``aye'' to 
``no.''
  So the resolution was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________