[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6198]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             RURAL AMERICA

  (Mr. PANETTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today for rural America. I represent 
the central coast of California, one of the most beautiful and 
bountiful districts in our Nation. With its many and diverse crops, it 
is the salad bowl of the world. Now, I know it is on the coast of 
California, but if you drive 1 or 2 miles east, you will be in rural 
America.
  I understand a majority of rural Americans voted for Donald Trump. It 
has been 100 days now, and all they have received is broken promises 
with an intended laceration of the Department of Agriculture budget by 
21 percent and a lack of respect and a limited appreciation for what 
the men and women do in rural America.
  We ask the President to stop his lip service and start giving public 
service to rural America with investments in infrastructure, research 
and development, and, yes, immigration reform. It is time to stop the 
rhetoric and start recognizing that people who come here who work in 
agriculture contribute not just to our economy but to our country.
  Mr. President, all we ask is that you do what people in rural America 
do every single day. They get up, they work hard, they are stewards of 
the land, they provide security for our food and for our families, and 
they serve not just their communities, they serve our country.

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