[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9555]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        NATIONAL POLLINATOR WEEK

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, this week is National 
Pollinator Week, and it is a time when we encourage the protection of 
pollinator species, such as honeybees, native bees, birds, bats, and 
butterflies as essential partners of farmers and ranchers in producing 
food.
  These pollinators are vital to keeping items like fruits, nuts, and 
vegetables in our diets.
  As vice chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and chairman of 
the Nutrition Subcommittee, I know that healthy pollinator populations 
are critical to the continued economic well-being of rural America and 
our U.S. economy as a whole.
  It is important to recognize how critical it is to protect the health 
of pollinators and celebrate the significance that they play in our 
everyday lives.
  The number of honeybee hives has declined from 6 million in the 1940s 
to about 2.5 million today. We need to increase those habitats.
  American farmers have no better friends than the honeybee. More than 
one-third of U.S. crops require pollination.
  As someone who has a beehive in his backyard, I fully support efforts 
to raise awareness and keep our pollinators buzzing for generations to 
come.

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