Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. 20240703

While we were on the august recess, it was projected that theyd reach trillion, doubling the estimate of we simply cannot continue down this path of spending large sums of money without regard to the fiscal future of our nation. This bill takes the same approach American Families take every day. They simply have to do more with less under the biden economy. American families decide every single day where to cut back spending to pay for whats most important for them. For them, those decisions are difficult. Likewise, we have to make tough, difficult decisions for the good of the nation. This represents 2. 7 billion across discretionary accounts throughout this bill except for the Supplemental Program for w. I. C. With this reduction the fiscal year 2024 agriculture appropriation bills discretionary allocation is 15. 1 billion. By redirecting nearly 7. 5 billion in unobligated funds from the inflation reduction act, this funds the food and agriculture and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission with a Effective Program level of 22. 5 billion, a decrease of 12. 8 from the current fiscal year. This legislation prioritizes Critical Ag Research and plant and Animal Health programs, invests in our Rural Communities, provides nutrition assistance to those in need, ensures that American Consumers have a safe food and drug supply. But this legislation rejects the Biden Administrations unrealistic proposed spending levels that disregard the dire fiscal reality our country faces. It also rejects the administrations continued push to bloat inside the beltway federal bureaucracy by halting new hires in the washington, d. C. Office. Instead focusing on hiring a increased usda work force outside the capital beltway in the offices that directly serve and support Rural America. Id like to highlight a few areas where this legislation prioritizes essential functions while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. In regards to supporting the core mission it provides 1 billion for the plant and Animal Inspection Service to support the departments efforts to protect us from foreign animalizeses. It continues to invest in farm programs, Disaster Assistance and Crop Insurance to farmers and ranchers by maintaining services for the farm agency and Risk Management agency. The bill provides 1 billion for the food, safety and Inspection Service to fund our nations front line inspectors of meat and poultry products. We continue to make important investments in Critical Agricultural Research that will keep our producers on the cutting edge of technology and Production Practices and we continue to fund Rural Development programs, including Critical Infrastructure investments in water and wastewater systems, broadband, and Rural Housing programs. For the food and Drug Administration, the bill provides over 6 billion in direct appropriations and user fees to enable the agency to keep food, drugs and medical devices safe and effective. The bill includes 296 million for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to continue to oversee and ensure the integrity of u. S. Derivative markets. With regards to fiscal responsibility, at the same time this legislation reins in some of the administrations wasteful spending and removes the Commodity Credit Corporation to fund unauthorized nonemergency programs by returning statutory language to its precovid language that didnt have that discretionary authority. The c. C. C. Is not intended to allow usda to completely bypass congress in establishing new programs, yet the usda apparently just cant help themselves and thats exactly what theyve been doing with the Commodity Credit Corporation. According to a recent article in agri pulse they intend to use the corporation to spend 1. 3 billion on trade programs and another 1. 1 billion to pay for, quote, commodity based International Food aid. That sounds a lot like the food for Peace Program, since the usda has provided this 1. 1 billion for food aid that will be distributed through fiscal year 2024, the rule amendment reduces food for peace to 532 million. This will put an end to the habitual abuse of the c. C. C. In doing so the bill saves 1 billion in fiscal year 2024 alone. Given the usda uses these discretionary powers to spend another 2. 5 billion and 6. 6 billion in the last two fiscal years, respectively, i would submit to my colleagues the real savings of taxpayers by taking these discretionary authorities away will be much higher than the c. B. O. Score. Mr. Chair, thats exactly what we need in times of the fiscal crisis we are in. Let me be clear, restricting these authorities in the c. C. C. Will have no impact on farm bill programs, Crop Insurance or the secretarys ability to access the c. C. C. In an animal or plant health emergency. The uses for which the program was created, not as a de facto slush fund for the department. All of those important duties and functions will continue under this bill. This legislation also rescinds wasteful spending from the inflation reduction act. It is finally time to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars by rescinding these new government giveaways. We must work to right size programs especially since the pandemic is over and President Biden ended the Public Health emergency in may. In fact, its time to return to precovid spending levels. And perhaps, mr. Chair, we can return to precovid inflationary levels, too, which im sure the American Public would indeed welcome. Well, this is why were returning the w. I. C. Cash value benefits to a normal sustainable, inflation adjusted funding level. The American Rescue plan provided a onetime increase in these benefits due to the pandemic but these increases continued to be built into the w. I. C. Program in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 after they were due to expire. Keeping these increases on autopilot adds an additional 1 billion to the program. This bill does provide cash value vouchers above prepandemic levels to help with the food inflation caused by the biden economy. But with the end of the Public Health emergency, its time to return this program to normal precovid operations. On the regulatory front, this legislation puts a stop to usdas efforts under the packers and Stockyards Act to dictate how poultry and livestock producers raise and market their animals and prevents the purchase of farmland by our foreign adversaries while providing funds for the Farm Service Agency to fulfill its duty to track Foreign Ownership of land. The bill also returns the use of a drug to the Health Care Providers and is not a drug that should not be used without the supervision of a physician or similarly licensed provider. Anyone who truly cares, who genuinely cares about Womens Health and safety should support this commonsense provision. Finally, as i said earlier, this bill takes the same approach American Families take every single day now. They have to do more with less under the biden inflation economy. American families decide every day where to cut back spending to pay for whats most important. Were not appropriating monopoly money, mr. Chair. It is hard earned taxpayer dollars and sometimes tough decisions have to be made and this bill makes them. In closing, i ask for your support for this important piece of legislation. Mr. Chair, i reserve the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman from maryland reserves. The gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Bishop thank you, mr. Chair. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The chair the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Bishop every day when i anticipate the agriculture appropriations bill coming to the floor, i wake up with my usual admonition that this is the day the lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it, but today as we take up this agriculture bill, it stretches my faith to say that this is a good day because i rise in very, very strong opposition to h. R. 4368. As the Ranking Member of the agriculture, Rural Development, food and Drug Administration and related agencies appropriations subcommittee, im extremely disappointed to see this bill does not meet the needs of americans who rely on this funding to ensure safe food and medicines, healthy and resilient farmlands and strong rural infrastructure. The programs contained in the agriculture funding bill are important for all americans and affect our country in so many ways. These programs help americans by helping American Farmers produce the highest quality, safest, most abundant and most economical food and fiber in the world through the assistance provided through the Farm Service Agency in almost every county in america. They help future generations by funding conservation practices which preserve our farmland and Natural Resources for the years to come. These programs are sense isal to those who live in rural areas and ensure quality of life through access to clean drinking water, electricity, telecommunication, broadband, school infrastructure, and housing. They help feed every american, including our most vulnerable families, seniors and children in difficult times. They fund usda meat and poultry inspectors and f. D. A. Inspectors, of all other Food Products so the food on americans tables are safe and nutritious and funds the cftc and Farm Credit Administration so this bill affects our financial space. I cannot think of a funding subcommittee with a broader reach as our bill has. And the bill with such a broad reach deserves to have these programs adequately funded. However, the bill passed in our full Committee Markup only provided 17. 8 billion in funding which takes us back to the 2007 funding level. That is entirely inadequate for the needs of the American People and had no chance of being passed into law when it came out of committee. Unfortunately, rather than moving in a more productive direction, the majority used a procedural gimmick to impose even greater cuts of 69 to the food for Peace Program, 14. 2 to all other discretionary programs, instead of improving the bill, the rules committee made it even worse. In total, the cuts to the bill have reduced funding 41 lower than last year. The bill before us today will take us back to 2001 levels. That is totally irresponsible. The bill would harm Rural America by taking money from programs supporting Rural Communities such as it cuts 500 million from the Rural Energy Fund America Program, the reap program, and it eliminates grants under the program which will raise the energy costs for over 15,000 Rural Farmers and Small Businesses. It takes a billion dollars from Rural Electric cooperatives, 900 cooperatives that serve over 40 Million People in 48 states. It slices 800 million from the w. I. C. Program which drastically also cuts the cash value voucher benefit for fruit and vegetable purchases affecting nearly five million hungry women and children. It strips loan assistance needed by 100,000 economically distressed farmers which could literally cost folks the family farm. It cuts Rural Development programs by over 40 , which means thousands of rural families will no longer be able to get a loan to afford a home. Hundreds of projects meant to provide clean water and wastewater systems will be eliminated and howses of families will not be able to turn on the tap and count on drinkable water. It completely guts the food for peace International Food aid program. It cuts the mcgoverndole program by 14 , a Program Programs which will further exacerbate the Global Hunger and instability and the risk of conflicts abroad which will weaken american security. The bill also strips the secretary, as youve heard, of discretionary useful the Commodity Credit Corporation funding. The c. C. C. Is a tool authorized by law to benefit our farmers and the thousands of church and Community Food banks that it helps to fund, no matter which party is in the white house. The only folks that suffer when any administration is not allowed to use the c. C. C. At its discretion are our ag producers and American Families. Our farmers benefited tremendously under the Trump Administration when the secretary of agriculture used the c. C. C. To give our farmers relief from the trade wars with china. As i look at it, the path this bill has taken so far and how the proposed amendments that we will see tonight would make it even worse. I ask myself for any farmers that are watching tonight who are trying to do whats best for their land, for their businesses and their family, what will they see . For people in rural p communities facing challenges with providing clean water, utilities . What will sthai they see, for the same communities trying to ensure their Law Enforcement and First Responders have the vehicle, the communication equipment and other resources they need to keep their Rural Communities safe . What will they see . For struggling families trying to put food on the table for their children. What will they see . Sadly, if those americans are watching us tonight, what they will see is a majority which is focused on overriding medical science to take away a womans freedom to control her own Reproductive Health choices, but not a majority focused on ensuring that those women and their children are able to afford food. They will see a majority that is focused on an undefined socalled Critical Race Theory while pushing this bill to jeopardize the safety of our food and medicine. Slowing down our supply chain and ironically making these things harder to get and more expensive to buy. Make no mistake, the majority will have would have a person who is watching at home to believe that this bill fights against some undeserving citizens who dont need the help. But the hard truth is that this bill is a nuclear bomb against the needs of every single american. The majority wants the people to be distracted by their culture war while they cut the crucial programs that every american depends on for the safest, the highest quality, the affordable food and fiber and medicine in the world. And it appears that tonight, we will see more amendments from the majority that further pushed the bill in a terribly harmful direction. It astonishes me that we are four days away from a Government Shutdown, yet were not debating a bipartisan bill to keep the government open. Instead, we are debating an extreme messaging bill that does nothing to bring us closer to the bipartisan agreement we will need to eventually pass a fullyear Government Spending bill. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft a responsible bill which meets the needs of all americans. Id like to thank my personal staff including tanisha boomer and the subcommittee staff including martha foley, alex wan and tyler cole for their work on this bill. Id like to thank the majority staff for their efforts but i pray the majority members of congress and the majority of congress will have an epiphanny and deliver a much better work product to the American People by the end of this funding process. I yield back i reserve, rather, the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman from georgia reserves. The gentleman from maryland is recognized. Mr. Harris thank you very much, mr. Chairman. Whats really harmful is a 2 trillion deficit, not the legislation before us. I yield to the gentleman from ohio, mr. Miller. The chair the gentleman is recognized. For one minute. Mr. Miller i thank my colleague. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I rise today to support a vital amendment included in the en bloc amendment to foster rural skills training and work force development. The amendment i offered with several of my colleagues would restore funding for one of usdas primary rural skills and work force programs at the World Innovation stronger economy also known as rise grant program. As authorized in 2018 farm bill this Work Force Training initiative provides assistance to rural areas to establish job accelerateors to cultivate the growth of high wage jobs and support rural economies. Rural american regions throughout the country face challenges come bounded compounded by a lack of Access Training and workplace skills. This is an urgent issue that require ours attention and i urge my colleagues to support the amendment. I yield back. The chair the gentleman yields. The gentleman reserves. The gentleman from georgia. Mr. Bishop i yield five minutes to the gentlewoman from connecticut, Ranking Member of the appropriations committee, ms. Delauro. The chair the gentlewoman is recognized for five minutes. Ms. Delauro the agricultural agriculture Rural Development f. D. A. Appropriations bill cuts funding for crit critical programs reride on by americas farmers, rural comurnts and working families. This bill slashes loans and it weakens support for Rural Communities. It inserts government into the personal Health Care Decisions by limiting womens access to abortion and shamefully, it cuts assistance for the most Vulnerable Children and families. That we are debating this bill on september 26, four days before the end of the fiscal year, when House Republicans have provided no path forward to keep our government open, is as absurd as it is reprehensible. The House Republican plan demonstrates an inability and an unwillingness to govern. Rather than working to keep the lights on and ensuring federal workers and Service Members get paid, republicans are pursuing a path explicitly designed to shut down the government. Republicans will claim to support farmers. But this bill makes it harder for Small Farmers to make ends meet. This bill will inflict increasing energy costs in rural community, making it harder or impossible for farmers to get a loan. Maybing our food less safe. This bill takes away billions in investments for Rural Communities by gutting funding provided to Rural Electric coops used to help support the longterm resiliency, reliability and affordability of Rural Electric systems. These coops are 92 of poverty counties and power over 21 million businesses, homes, schools and farms in 48 states. This bill cuts the Renewable Energy for America Program by over 500 million. It raises energy costs on 15,000 rural Small Businesses, cuts farmers out of the green energy economy. And it eliminates payments intebded to serve as financial lifeline for distressed farmers which have already helped more than 20,000 producers avoid going into foreclosure. This bill abandons the most vulnerable. It slashes the women, infants and children, the w. I. C. Program by 800 million. Some 4. 6 million women and children would also get severely reduced food and vegetable vouchers. I do not believe we should practice this socalled fiscal responsibility by taking food out of the mouths of moms an of children. And republicans seek to sell their spending cuts to the American People by taking food from the most vulnerable. Finally, the majority has included shameful political rides for the each of these Appropriations Bills that attack women and minorities and pander to various extreme rightwing issues. All while protecting billionaires and the biggest corporations. Republicans are determined to make abortion illegal nationally. And attach an attachment to this bill would reduce the f. D. A. Decision to allow mifepristone to be dispensed in pharmacies to patients with a prescription from a certified prescriber instead of only hospitals, clinics and medical offices. The drug has been safely and legally used in the United States by over five million women since the f. D. A. Approved its use more than 20 years ago. This policy would overrule the established scientific process for f. D. A. Approval in order to restrict womens access to health care. And my amendment to remove this rider was blocked. This bill is not serious. But it will, like the majoritys shutdown, have serious consequences that will be borne by the American People. This bill is shameful. This bill is dangerous. And this bill leaves Rural Americans, farmers, senior, and children and hungry families behind. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from georgia reserves. The gentleman from maryland is recognized. Mr. Harris i want to remind everybody, were not dealing with monopoly money. We have to solve a 2 trillion budget deficit. The president didnt have ideas. He submitted a tbowjt congress that never, ever balanced and was supposed to have 1 trillion deficits but in fact because of overspending of the in the socalled inflation reduction act, which is one of the biggest misnopers youve ever had in the history of congress, because the American People know, when you increase spending by hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars you increase inflation. You dont reduce it you increase it. The fact of the matter is, our deficit is now 2 trillion, not 1 trillion. So mr. Chairman, im hoping to hear if the other side of the aisle, where do we pay for all this . We have to borrow every single penny of this bill and it has to be paid back by our children, our great grandchildren, thats the facts. I know the facts are disturbing. But we have a 2 trillion deficit and its the House Republicans who are taking the responsible position in washington and dealing with it. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Bishop mr. Chairman, let me just say that were in this deficit situation largely because we dont collect the revenue from the people who owe taxes. The wealthy millionaires and billionaires that these republican majorities are protecting. By not funding enough agents to collect the money from the internal for the Internal Revenue so we can fund the government. We wouldnt have the deficit that we have today, were they willing to put sufficient agents on the job to be table collect the money that is lawfully due. People should pay their taxes and they should protect those tax cheats. At this time i yield two minutes to the jerusalem from maine, the Ranking Member of the interior environmental subcommittee and a member of the agricultural subcommittee, ms. Pingree. The chair the gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Pingree thank you, mr. Speaker. Thank you to my good friend from georgia for yielding me the time. I rise in opposition to this bill. This bill will hurt our farmers. It will hurt women and children. It will hurt Rural America. It provides 17. Billion, the lowest level of funding for 16 years. This bill hurts our ability to fight the Climate Crisis by limiting the flexibility of the Credit Commodity Corporation which usda uses to give farmers the tools they need to respond to Climate Change. It slashes funds for climate hubs and climate research. Following the hottest months ever recorded on earth. It strips resources for rural energy for America Program which will make electricity more expensive for over 1,600 residents in my district. It zeros out funding for the office of urban agriculture which handles composting and food waste. This means even more Greenhouse Gases will be released into the atmosphere. It includes language to prevent the usda from implementing a rule to protect farmers and ranchers from anticompetitive behavior in the meat and poultry industry. I want to be clear about the cuts republicans are making to w. I. C. The Nutrition Program for women, infant and children. This bill cuts w. I. C. By 800 million. It also slashes the available funds for families to buy fruits and vegetables. This bill cuts w. I. C. Fruit and vegetable benefits by 56 for children and up to 70 for women. Pregnant and postpartum participants would see their benefits drop from 44 to 13. Thats 13. Anyone who has been Grocery Shopping in the past few months knows this is not enough. A bag of apples, some carrots, onion, youve spent your allotment for the month. Almost one third of children in the United States dont consume enough daily fruit and vegetables and almost half dont consume enough daily vegetables. This program is critical to address the disparities people face in assessing healthy food. At a time when food pantries in states like maine are facing empty shelves while they have huge increases in demand, i cannot fathom how republicans can justify the cost of cuts in this bill. Please vote against this bill. The chair the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from maryland is recognized. Mr. Harris thank you very much, mr. Chairman. You know, its only in washington that this can happen. Last years bill from the other side of the aisle, when they were in the majority, funded w. I. C. At 6. 0 billion. This years bill in front of us funds w. I. C. At 6. 0 billion. Thats a slash if you listen to the other side of the aisle. The average american is going what . Wait a minute. Were funding it at exactly the same and they are accusing us out of the mouths of women and infants and children. Thats what the American People cant stand about washington. The average american extends 6. 0 billion last year is the same as this year. All they see is a partisan struggle going on. They dont see americans and house of representatives wanting to solve their problems. The price of food in the grocery store, the price of everything, the price of gas, the inflation and dont want to solve the problem at the southern border. They accuse us of slashing things when we fund it at exactly the same level. I reserve. The chair the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Bishop i yield two minutes to the gentleman from ohio and a member of the agriculture subcommittee, ms. Kawptd tour. Ms. Kaptur thank you for yielding time for me to oppose this legislation. Quite unfortunate piece of legislation and quite harmful to agriculture. The majority has produced a real farm bill and cant produce a budget on time and now this legislation today is a stamp riddled with policy riders and funding cuts that will hurt American Farmers and the American People. Slashing by 41 across agricultural programs to 2000 levels cannot go unchecked. With the lowest funding in two decades, this weakens american competitiveness and abandons our farmers. Our country imports a third of our fresh fruits and vegetables. We need to plews those. When america makes and grows, makes and grows americans. Republicans seek to starve americans of food and starve infants born to poor women by slashing the national Nutrition Program by 800 million slashing hundreds of millions in farmers procurement contracts in the process. Ohio has 179, 262 w. I. C. Recipients. Many of these recipients, infants, toddlers, women will see their allotment drop to as little as 11 per month or simply dleap entirely. A childs brain is formed by aged four. If you starve children you harm their ability to learn and impact them for life. The lack of majority. One of the rolling protection for farmers and prevent corporations from imposing debt serve thy thud. Would the gentleman yield 30 seconds . I thank the gentleman for yielding. One of the many dangerous provisions is rolling back protections for farmers that prevent corporations from this bill prohibits farmers protected from unfair unjustly discriminatory. Lack of enforcement in the packers and stock yards act along with corporate mergers has allowed Foreign Corporations extreme power. So this bill blocks fair competition. If we dont support our hardworking farmers. What is this bill about. Vote no on this legislation. I yield back. The chair the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from maryland is recognized. Mr. Harris we are going to be Fact Checking all night long. Once again the gentlelady said we are slashing 800 million from from the w. I. C. Program. Now maybe this is new math, maybe this is why our Public Schools are failing our children, but 6. 0 billion this year, our amount is exactly the same as the 6. 0, minus 6. 0 billion is zero. Not recenter dlsh 800 million less. Now i think i heard we are taking this down to f. Y. 2000 funding levels. That is interesting, we looked up the funding levels and the ag bill was funded at 14 billion. We are funding it at 25 billion. Again, this might be new math. 14 might be more than 25 in an alternate universe and doesnt understand what every American Family knows. Inflation is driven by out of control spending and then we are accused of cutting spending to the f. Y. 2000 levels. Again, for those who werent paying attention, f. Y. 2000, look it up, 14 billion. Our bill, 25 billion. I reserve. The chair the alreserves. The gentleman is recognized. Mr. Bishop thank you, mr. Chair. Let me just say that every time i hear republicans talk, they are talking about the cost of everything going up. Assuming which is not true that that 6 billion is the same as the last year, they say over and over and over how much the cost of living has gone up and how much it costs more to buy groceries. They are talking about it every single day and i yield at this time two minutes to the the gentlewoman from from florida, and hardworking member, ms. Wasserman schultz. Ms. Wasserman schultz i thank the gentleman for yielding and i rise in opposition to this heartless bill that cuts nutrition assistance to our mothers and children. If my republican colleagues insist of preserving their tax cuts to the rich, please have the decency not to do on the backs of women, children and farmers. As cruel as these cuts are it the maga extremists are running this house. They are bringing these bills to a vote. This legislation should have a taxic hazard warning. One rider blocks woman blocking telemedicine. This sneak attack would restrict a womans right to control her own bodies. Republicans are adding it to this barrier now in the dead of night. This isnt the only extreme rider. Instead of children and farmers and first, you are a doctor, that is shocking. It does mind you showing that it will mean more addicted kids. In florida alone, 32, 300 people die each year from smokingrelated deaths. Republicans give handouts to big tobacco. I know americans are divided on many issues but one thing we agree we dont take Food Assistance from families, children, seniors that rely pun that funding. This extreme maga bill does that. Show me your budget and ill show you what you value. This bill exemplifies and takes foods from the mouths of the hungry and if it cuts funds to American Farmers. I strongly urge my colleagues to reject these cold hearted values and vote no on this bill and i yield back. The chair the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from maryland. Mr. Harris im going to fact check myself. Our budget is 22. 5 billion but not 25 billion. Now what the toxic hazard is is not this bill but a 2 thrillion deficit and open southern border thats what the toxic hazard is and we are not discussing it in washington. Arent the remarks supposed to be directed to the chair the speakers comments . The chair the gentleman is correct. Mr. Harris i thought so. I reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves. The gentleman is recognized. Mr. Bishop let me just i hope that the people who are watching tonight will take note of the fact that they dont have to take our words for it, the Congressional Budget Office has scored this bill and they have scored the managers amendment. He says that the bill is 22 billion. Well after the amendment that they are going to be offering on this bill tonight, c. B. O. Scored it at 15. 1 billion not clearly what he is representing i just want to say after the managers amendment, which is the First Amendment that we will be considering tonight, the c. B. O. Has scored this bill at 50. 1 billion. I would like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from wisconsin, member of the appropriations subcommittee, mr. Pocan. The chair the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Pocan im in disbelief over the low spending levels proposed by the republicans in the agricultural appropriations bill. They slashed funding to 2001 levels funding from over 20 years ago, that is 41 cut, 10 billion to the people that feed america, our farmers, i dont see how any member of congress can show this much disrespect, certainly no member from wirveg. Here are a few examples. The it zeros out the Dairy Business Innovation Initiative completely from 25 million to nothing. That is assistance to new businesses that want to give milk and cheesees to market. If you are an economically distressed farmer, this strips assistance. If you are a farmer that uses the farm agency, this bill cuts f. S. A. In addition to conservation programs that help programs. If you give Energy Assistance, good luck to that. And making your energy costs go up. And if you farm and supply through International Food programs, you are really out of luck because they cut it by 1. 2 billion, 69 cut. I would assume this is a satire of saturday night live episode. Another tuesday night where farmers arent valid by the House Republican majority. No one who claims to support Rural America could write for a funding bill this bad. No one. And i wont be supporting this kind of disrespect to the farmers in my district, i yield back. The chair the gentleman reserves. Mr. Harris fact check time again for the American People. F. Y. 2000 was 24 million. In f. Y. We are cutting it to 2001 levels. Well, mr. Chair, that was 15 billion. Might be new math, but when i went to school that 15 was less than 22. 5. We are not cutting spending to f. Y. 2001 levels. We are cutting them to precovid levels. Mr. Chair, the pandemic is over. The freewheeling spending during the pandemic has to end. A 2 trillion deficit and open southern border are threats to this country and the Republican House majority is dealing with it. Mr. Chair, i remind the body that the senate is not controlled by republicans and they havent passed a single appropriations bill to the floor. Now, only passed one, but again, when i went to school, one was more than none. I reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from georgia. Mr. Bishop i yield to the gentlelady from illinois. The chair the gentlelady is recognized. I rise in opposition to h. R. 4368 which has been weaponized to limit americans to health care. This is to reinstate outdated policies that restrict access to a safe effective drug used in abortion. From the courts to congress, my colleagues in the majority are continuing their efforts to force restrictions that attack our fundamental freedoms to make decisions about our own freedoms. This funding bill is yet another example of political interference int the scientific review process entrusted to the f. D. A. By it is a draconian attempt to strip away peoples fundamental right to make their own opinions rejecting years of medical expertise and an extensive review that showed mifepristone to be incredibly safe. It is safe and it is effective and not the business of congress to substitute political judgments for the judgments of the scientific and medical experts who determine f. D. A. Policy governing this medication. What is even more unfortunate is that this is one of many problematic aspects of this bill. As a member of the committee of ag i can walk through with you to where cutting the levels to 2003, it leaves our working families and farmers behind. I know my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who sit on the Agriculture Committee with me do not view this to be a serious proposal. And i urge them to think long and hard before voting yes on this bill. For these reasons at the appropriate time i will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the house rule is permitted, i would have offered the motion with a important amendment to this bill and would have stricken the opinions rolling back the f. D. A. s guidance. At the end of the debate i will insert into the record the text of this amendment. I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit and i yield back. Thank you. The chair the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from maryland is recognized. Mr. Bishop first were cutting it to fy2001 and now its fc2003 levels. Mr. Harris the fy2003 funding level was 17. 55 billion. I will remind all the americans watching that hads 17. 5 billion is less than 22. 5. In fact were five billion above that. We are not cutting spending to fy2003 levels. Maybe the next speaker will suggest 2005 or 2001. If we get to 2019 precovid, we are. I want to suggest the floor leader on the other side of the aisle said republicans talk of everything going up. Mr. Chair, if that were true, if its only republicans who talk of everything going up, we would be getting 95 of the vote in america because everybody is talking about everything going up. You cant go anywhere without someone saying oh, my gosh, i have to pay 4. 80 for diesel, oh, my gosh i have to pay so much for milk or 2 for a loaf of bread i used to pay 1. 20 for. Its not republicans talking about that, were just listening to what the americans say. Thats why were returning spending to the precovid levels. I reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Bishop we have no more speakers and at this time id like to thank you, mr. Chair. And over the past two decades, our country in the agriculture business has grown and our population has grown. This bill initially withdrew funding for americas agriculture as you heard back to 2006 funding levels with an allocation of 17. 1 billion. Which is nearly 8 billion below last years enacted bill. Sadly, were here tonight with a bill that the majority made even worse this past weekend by gutting Congress Commitment to American Farmers, producers, Rural Communities, and families to levels last seen in 2001. This bill keeps moving in the wrong direction. Also, many of the amendments that we will be debating tonight, which lowering this allocation much lower than the American People need will be an attempt really to circumvent the ongoing negotiations in the house agriculture authorizing committee on which is working so desperately to get our farmers and our Rural Communities and lenders in america a 2023 farm bill which is the blueprint that our farmers and stakeholders need to plan for agriculture in america are going forward. This will jeopardize the consensus we hope to build and to pass for the 2023 farm bill. So i urge my colleagues to defeat this bill. Lets send it back to the committee. Lets begin to put together a better work product for the American People. This bill is a disgrace. It really does not rise to the level that the American People deserve. We have got to continue to keep our farmers and our americans in a position to consume and produce the highest quality, the safest, the most abundant food and fiber anywhere in america, and to have the safest medications and medical devices. I urge my colleagues to defeat this. We have to do better. I yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from maryland is recognized. Mr. Harris the republicans got sent pack in the majority in this term of congress to get things in order in washington. So in closing, id ask my colleagues to support the fiscal year 2024 agriculture appropriations bill, which returns to from covid spending levels and starts us on a path to decreasing our federal spending and decreasing inflation. Thats what the American People want but this legislation does prioritize critical programs that support our nations farmers, ranchers and Rural Communities. The bill importantly rens in federal policies and stops the Biden Administrations woke agenda. Again, id ask my colleagues to support the bill and i yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman yields back. All time for general debate has expired. Pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the fiveminute rule. The amendment printed in part e of the house report 118216 shall be considered as adopted and the bill as amended should be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill as amended are waived. No further amendment to the bill shall be in order except those printed in part f of house report 118216. Amendment en bloc described in 723 and pro forma amendments described in section 13 of that resolution. Each further amendment printed in part f of the report shall be considered only in the order printed in the report and may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, may be withdrawn by the proponent for any action there on and shall be subject by amendment of House Resolution 723 and not subject to a demand of the division of the question. It shall be in order at any time for the chair of the committee on appropriations or her designee to offer amendments en bloc consisting of further amendments in part f not earlier proposed of. Amendments en bloc shall be considered as read and debatable equally controlled by the chair and a Ranking Member and shall not be subject to amendment except as provided by amendment 13 of House Resolution 723 and not subject to a demand for division of a question. During consideration of the bill for amendment, the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on appropriations or their respective designee may offer up to 10 pro forma amendments each for anything other than purposes for debate. For what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition . Mr. Harris mr. Chair, prudence to House Resolution 723 i offer amendments en bloc. The chair the clerk will designate the amendments enclock. The clerk consisting of amendments 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 34, 37, 39, 40, 44, 46, 47, 49, 50, 58, 59, 60, and 63 printed in part f of house report number 118216 offered by mr. Harris of maryland. The chair pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman from maryland, mr. Harris, and the gentleman from georgia, mr. Bishop, each will control 10 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. Mr. Harris thank you, mr. Chair, i rise in favor of this amendment, this is the bipartisan amendment that includes priorities from members of both side of the aisle. I appreciate mr. Bishop working on the amendment and ask for its support and reserve. The chair the gentleman from reserves. The gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Bishop thank you. I rise in support of this amendment. This amendment includes 42 amendments, five bipartisan, 17 republicans, 20 for democrats. Agriculture funding bill has starkly been a bipartisan bill and well need to channel that same cooperation if we want to pass appropriation bills into law. I thank the gentleman for offering the amendments and his cooperation in having this bipartisan en bloc amendment. I thank you and reserve the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from maryland is recognized. Mr. Harris i yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Bishop i yield one minute to the gentleman from vermont. The chair the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. I rise en bloc to include my amendment to covers the catastrophic flooding. In vermont farmers are hurting with government funding running out on saturday, the republicans agriculture appropriations bill is too little too late. Vermonts recovery needs are urgent. My amendment urges usda to ensure Disaster Assistance is employed as quickly as possible. Its been a rough year in vermont. Vermont producers have sustained millions and millions of dollars in damages impacting nearly 30,000 acres of land. Vermont farmers are essentially the heart of our communities, the fabric of our state and ill do everything in my power to make sure they have the resources they need to make sure that they are able to recover and build back better from this horrible flooding. A Government Shutdown would be devastating for vermont and other states like mine that are recovering from disasters this summer. Vermonters need federal recovery dollars to continue to flow so that towns and households can get back on their feet. We must turn our attention to serious matters. I urge adoption of this amendment and i yield back. The chair the gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Bishop mr. Chair, i yield 1 1 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from texas, ms. Jackson lee. The chair the gentlewoman from texas is recognized for 1 1 2 minutes. Ms. Jackson lee i thank the gentleman from georgia for working together with mr. Harris. Every time i come to the floor i say i dont want a Government Shutdown. Having been through them and see the desperation that comes upon the American People and ill do everything i can that is within reason to make sure we do not have it. As i present this amendment and thank the committees for allowing this amendment to be in, i just take note of the funding cuts in Rural Electric cooperation and the shocking cuts in w. I. C. Thats what i think has to be fixed and the American People are not aware. I am grateful of the jackson lee amendment, number 18, increases funding that includes Grant Research for the 1890 land grant universities which are 28 historic black colleges and universities. This amendment would decrease funding in another account, the association of public and land grant universities, council of 1890s and includes all the historically black colleges. And at least 19 universities have been designated. The importance of this is how crucial it is to engage our universities in research and in particular the Natural Science foundation, it strengthens the training of our young people. It provides them with the doors to opportunity that research is the economy of the 21st century, increasing funding for the United States department of agriculture that provides Grant Research would help to stimulate sustainable improvement in research and development. I ask my colleagues to support the jackson lee amendment supporting the education and research in historically black colleges. With that i yield back. Thank you. The chair the gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Bishop mr. Chair, i yield one minute to the gentlelady from from washington. The chair the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. I rise to urge the support of two of my amendments in this bipartisan en bloc. My First Amendment supports farmers in healthy soils by asking the usda to conduct research on the amount of microplastics and farmland. They are showing up everywhere in our bodies and waters and soil and i support healthy soil which is essential for our farming communities. My Second Amendment is the idea this the usda should be able to fix its own stuff and not waste taxpayer dollars that cannot be easily repaired and by usda submission when it breaks. This allows to be better stewards of taxpayer dollars to perform groundbreaking research. I yield back. Mr. Bishop i yield 90 seconds to the gentlelady from new mexico. The chair the gentlelady is recognized for 90 seconds. Ms. Leger fernandez i rise in support of this en bloc amendment which includes two of my amendments. The travel rerelations is the sing the point of contact for Rural Communities as they work through what is available for them. And our tribal communities are rural and they must have access to tribal. My amendment would restore funding levels for the office of tribal. My amendment number 25 would increase funding by 7 million to improve funds of the section 515 rural program. Outrageously in my district, three of these properties have experienced serious management. One city condemned a property recently and has left. Usda needs the Necessary Research to make sure its properties are liveable. I must say while im in favor of this en bloc amendment, i must state again my opposition to the appropriations bill itself. I stood on this floor in this floor to severe cuts to our Rural Communities. We must prioritize and not cut them to 2007 levels. So i urge adoption of this amendment, but opposition to the bill itself. With that, i yield back. The chair the gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Bishop i yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the question is on the amendments en bloc offered by the gentleman from maryland. Those in favor, say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The en bloc amendments are agreed to. It was in order to consider amendment number 15 in house report for what purpose the gentleman from he seek recognition snr. The clerk amendment number 15 printed in part f of house report 1815 of 215. The chair the gentleman from arizona, mr. Biggs and a member opposed each will control five minutes. Mr. Biggs i rise in support of my amendment to restore funding for usda of the chief economist to 2016 levels which will save us 11 million. I have been listening to my colleagues they dont want this goes to 2016 levels and im hoping they will support this. Our annual Discretionary Spending has exploded. No one thought our government was too small. Before covid, 400 billion for the same government we had before and deficits are expected to exceed 2 trillion. So and this doesnt include the interest that we pay. So, revenue fiscal 2022 far exceeded our level and if we go back to though precovid levels. This is the first of many amendments i will be offering to Appropriations Bills this week intended to reduce spending. We spent countless reviewing prior Appropriations Bills and making recommendations and i filed 521 to cut spending totalling 100 billion for fiscal year 2024. Im not singling one office. We need to tighten our belts in order to get federal spending under control. How bad is the National Crisis . And the central bank in the world have a monopoly. Its the worlds reserve currency and its ability to print money and invest in bonds. The Federal Reserve is on pace to lose over 100 billion and 50 billion in the last two quarters and why is that . Because federal spending is out of control. If we are not going to fix it, who is going to fix it . Its our job. I urge the adoption of my amendment and i reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. Mr. Bishop i claim time in opposition. Mr. Bishop i rise in strong opposition. It would cut funding for the chief economist an additional 46 , that is almost half. Office of the chief economist provides advice and counsel to the secretary on matters affecting the economy with respect to the Agriculture Department. This bill already guts funding for usda and further cuts and makes a bad bill worse. I just think we need to defeat this amendment. And i thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from arizona. Arizona arizona i yield one minute to the gentleman from arizona. Mr. Harris i congratulate because the gentleman brings an amendment to the floor that does something to the 2 thrillion and we have a 33 billion and our Interest Payments are over 1 trillion, more than social security, medicare, medicaid, food stamps. One fact check. We heard it was f. Y. 2007. I guess the speech writers, 2001, 2001. The spending level was 17. 8 billion and five billion less than what we appropriate in this bill. I yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the jar reserves. The gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Bishop bad amount, bad for the country, bad for the usda. I urge defeat. The chair reserves. The gentleman from arizona. Mr. Biggs i heard my colleagues talking about costs that republicans want to cut costs. But heres my question, what could they do . They are the ones that fostered this massive inflation on us that is imposing a terrible cost to the American People. They can unleash American Energy. When you unleash American Energy, you reduce the price of the fuels that are necessary for the farmers to produce our food. You have reduced the costs for the transports to bring that food to market and you make our cost structure go down. That isnt necessarily inflation because the other thing you have to bring it under control is to bring federal spending control. I urge adoption of my amendment and i yield back. The chair the gentleman from georgia. Mr. Bishop when you cut the Energy Assistance programs while farmers in our Rural Communities, you raise the cost of that production and you raise the cost of that production, you raise the cost of the products they produce on the shelves of the grocery stores. This is not a good thing and i urge defeat of this amendment. I urge defeat of this bill. And i yield back the balance of my time. The chair the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona. Those in favor, say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to. It is in order tore consider amendment number 24 of house report 11826. Mr. Good i have an amendment at the desk. The clerk amendment number 24 printed in part f of house report 118216 offered by mr. Good of virginia. The chair the gentleman from virginia, mr. Good and a member opposed each will control five minutes, the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. Mr. Good thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. Thank you, mr. Speaker, here we are trying to try to fund our government for the year at a time when we have 33 trillion in National Debt and 2 trillion National Deficit and we are literally borrowing, borrowing, 2 trillion and it is incumbent upon us to be careful. Mr. Speaker, within that context, the Biden Administration continues to weapon nighs every lever of the federal government and push their harmful leftist agenda on federal employees and the American People. Exhibit a would be the abortion policy which violates current law. But this harm that is being done by this administration manifests itself in other areas and it pushes diversity and equity quit largely enforced by the office of civil rights. My amendment would reduce funding within the usda by 50 are permitting necessary functions to continue and sending a message that they cannot use their taxpayer dollars to implement their radical leftist agenda. They promote hiring quotas. And the federal government should be hiring and firing, there is a concept, the federal government should be hiring and firing employees for quality of performance and not based on the color of their skin or their gender on any particular day. My amendment cuts 8 million after 33 trillion and on track and my amendment would cut 8 million so taxpayer dollars can be used rather than promoting the leftist agenda of the Biden Administration, and i reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves. Mr. Bishop i claim time in opposition. I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. This amendment will cut funding for the office of civil rights at usda by an additional 19 and guts funding for usdp a and makes a bad bill worse, but the office of civil rights at usda is there for one purpose and that is to make sure that every american has an equal opportunity to access the programs of usda regardless of race, gender or national origin. Usda has been required to pay billions of dollars to folks who were stakeholders who were denied equal opportunities to access these programs. If we cut this, we will be hamstringing the ability of usda to do the right thing. We want to stop this before it spreads. It is already done too much damage to access for minorities, for women and for various ethnic minorities. So we must fund this office. And i urge my colleagues to reject this amendment. Its another amendment that does nothing to serve Rural America and has to place in this bill. We should fund the usda in a way that makes its programs accessible and available to every single american. I urge that this amendment be rejected. I yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Good the justification that the gentleman from georgia is already protected by law and already illegal to illegal on the basis hes talking about there. But were moving to a post Discrimination Society and well no longer discriminate on race and the Supreme Court is moving us that way in education and we ought to be doing it with the office of civil rights and the usda as well and we should be using taxpayer dollars for the farmers and programs that actually benefit the American People and have the highest return or at least a return and one not harmful for the American People. If the office of civil rights were simply protecting those required by law it wouldnt be a problem but the Biden Administration has subverted these types of offices to promote their leftist agenda. And i reserve, mr. Speaker. The chair the gentleman from virginia has the only time remaining. Mr. Good the Biden Administration has completely lost touch with the idea of hiring and firing people according to their performance and work they do and instead wants to base those decisions on a persons characteristics and achieving quotas in the name of equity and my amendment will hold these people accountable instead of promoting a radical agenda wasting dollars borrowed from our kids and grandkids and urge my colleagues to support my amendment and i yield back. The chair the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from virginia. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The amendment is agreed to. Mr. Bishop mr. Chair, id like to request a recorded vote. The chair pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from virginia will be postponed. It is now in order to consider amendment 29 printed in part f of house report 118216. For what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition . Mr. Chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. The chair the clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk amendment 9 printed in house report 118216 offered by mr. Biggs of arizona. The chair the gentleman from arizona, mr. Biggs, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. Mr. Biggs thank you, mr. Chairman, i rise in support of my amendment which restores funding to the Agriculture Statistical Service to the fiscal year 2019 level. That would result in directly nearly 13 million in deficit reduction in fiscal year 2024. Annual Discretionary Spending, i wont go through that again, what i said last time. Revenue in fiscal 2022 levels exceeded our federal spending in fiscal year 2019 and means if we were to shrink it back to the bee theme ott levels wee could add to our National Debt. I want to repeat where its so doggone important we take care of this. The proposed funding level for the agricultural Statistical Service is a 7. 5 increase over fiscal 2019 levels. Were actually bumping it above slightly the 2019 levels and getting it back to the precovid levels. My colleagues across the aisle, i heard one of them say in talking about the underlying bill, the main bill that the federal government needed to, quote, meet the needs of every american, close quote. We should think about what that says. The federal government meets the need of every american. Who determines what that need is. Who pays for that need . Well, our grandchildren must be the ones they think will pay for the current needs. Were borrowing 2 trillion this year. And it will be more than that next year. Were paying interest, about 700 billion in 2023. It will be more than that next year. Lets talk about the fed again. I mentioned the fed just so people could understand the fed has now put itself in a precarious position. We always used the fed, we counted on it, those who wanted to grow government anyways did. They believed in modern monetary theory that the fed could keep printing money, no inflation would result, just money grows on trees and we could supply every american for every need that they might have. So you use the central bank to keep Interest Rates really low, that made private borrowers really happy about that because they could service debt really inexpensively but covid happened and trillions of dollars flooded our economy and when those trillions of dollars flooded our economy, it devalued our currency and caused inflation to go up because those were nonproductive dollars. And what did the democrats do last year besides doing their because they didnt get their act together on budgeting, they passed a couple of c. R. s which led ultimately to the omnibus bill and that flooded money in there after covid was long gone. They added to the Inflationary Pressures. And im going to continue this but for now im going to reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Bishop i claim time for this amendment. The chair the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Bishop i rise in strong opposition to this amendment. It would cut funding for the National Agriculture Statistic Service and the census of agriculture by an additional 8 . The bill already cuts too much funding from usda and any further cuts, again, make a bad bill worse. The office of National Agriculture Statistic Service and the census of agriculture, those are very, very important functions and the amendment people need to know. We need to know what we grow and who is producing what we grow. We need to know where its been, we need to know what the country will need. This provides very, very important data that informed us. It informs our governmental entities, it informs our private sector, it informs the consumers. We dont need any more cuts here. So i urge you to defeat this amendment and i yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from arizona is recognized. Mr. Biggs lets talk more about the fed and why were in a world of hurt and why we have to start reducing spending and funding. We cant fund every project, everything around the world, and even in our own country. We send hundreds of billions out of this country. But guess what . When the fed bought 4. 7 trillion in additional assets, 2. 5 trillion was in Mortgage Backed securities and they invested in longterm loans and then they kept increasing, as inflation pressures up, they kept increasing the prime rate. Theyre now expecting another increase in the Interest Rate within the next two months. We will have to pay that debt service. That will contribute to the Inflationary Pressure that we have. So when you screw up your Energy Policy, you screw up your federal funding policy, the American People suffer. And they suffer through higher costs due to inflation. Thats a hidden tax. Thats why, thats why i keep trying to find ways, line items where we can provide services but reduce the federal spending to at least make some rational nod towards bringing us back, bringing us back to some sound funding policy, something we havent seen here in ages. I yield back. The chair those in favor of the amendment by arizona, say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it, the amendment is agreed to. Mr. Bishop id like to request a recorded vote. The chair further proceedings offered by the gentleman from arizona will be postponed. The chair understands that amendment number 32 will not be offered. It is now in order to consider amendment number 33 printed in part f of house report 118216. For what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition . I have an amendment at the desk. The chair the clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk amendment 33 precipitationed in part f of house report 118216 offered by mr. Biggs of arizona. The chair pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman from arizona, mr. Biggs, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. Mr. Biggs i rise in support of my amendment to restore the food and agriculture to 2016 levels. It will add it to the level in fiscal 2024. Ive been talking about the precarious position our economy is in. Im often baffled by this and view it as a existential threat. Bipartisan, weve seen National Security leaders of this country say our biggest threat is our National Debt. Every year we have a structural deficit. This year we thought it would be 1. 7 and c. B. O. Revised it north of 2 trillion. Thats what its going to be next year. The National Institute of food and agriculture has made a habit of disseminating Grant Funding to the organizations intent on societal division in the United States like 350,000 Funding Grant to a nonprofit promoting equity and Food Development projects, anothers 1. 4 million for organizations to advance food justice in california and funding to colleges seeking to enhance diversity in food economics. At the proposed funding level that is made for the National Institute of food and agriculture is a 17 increase over fiscal year 2019 level. The reduction i propose in my amendment would ensure taxpayer dollars are focused on activities related to food and crop development. Thats what this agency is supposed to be doing, not wokifying the money we give to it. I want everyone to support my amendment and ill continue my talk about our precarious position which is an existential problem to the United States and i reserve. The chair for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Bishop i claim the time in opposition. The chair the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Bishop i rise in strong opposition to this amendment. Cutting it is pennywise and poundfoolish and guts funding for usda already but the National Institute for food and agriculture provides grants for research to our colleges and universities and particularly the 1890 institutions that were created under the second moral act. This is a very useful agency and provides essential research, the tool that keeps american agriculture on the cutting edge. In america we produce the safest, the highest quality of food and fiber anywhere in the industrialized world and we do it because we fund research. Our research is the cutting edge. Why would we cut by 17 . We need Research Like we never needed it before with the climate challenges that were facing, weve got challenges that we must have in order to continue to produce the food to feed the people in this country and around the world. This research is essential and we need to continue to fund it and dont need the 17 cut. I urge the defeat of this amendment. Lets defeat this and pass a useful bill that is responsible that meets the needs of the American People and the american producers. I urge that this be defeated and i yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from arizona is recognized. Mr. Biggs thank you, mr. Chairman. Under the course of this evening in the underlined bill, the debate the underlined bill is referred to as being heartless and disrespectful. This amendment is referred to as being disrespectful, matter of fact. But this is what i would tell you, you know what is heartless, heartless is putting our nation and wrapping it up with flacksen cords we will not soon be able to get out of with constant perpetual debt. You see inflation. Inflation is going to keep going. Inflation is going to keep going because we dont have a great Energy Policy and we have a terrible federal spending problem. We heard on the underlying bill, hey, you know what, we should just raise more taxes is what we should be doing. You know what, we have record revenue, record revenue. And guess what . We continue to increase our structural deficit which leads to a greater National Debt problem. It isnt that americans arent paying enough in taxes. Its a fundamental spending problem. And it gets back to what ive been talking about, this modern monetary theory. You heard it a minute ago. We need to take care of the needs of everybody. Take care of the needs of everybody, who pays for that . It is obvious not going to be the American People who are living right now, maybe some living right now, we cant afford the government that my leftist colleagues across the aisle continue to promote. Thats what they want. They want massive government. They want government that controls every aspect of everybodys life and then they say, that will meet the needs of everybody. But thats not enough. They have to open the southern border as well. So by the tile the Biden Administration leaves you will have 10 million encounters at the border and that wont include the gotaways both known and unknown which exceed 2. 5 Million People. Yeah. Yeah. How are you going to pay for that. They dont want to tell you how they are going to pay for it because they have no concept of what is facing this country. I urge the adoption of my amendment. The chair the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona. Those in favor, say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the eyes have it and ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona will be postponed. Amendment number 36 will not be offered. Now in order to consider amendment number 38 printed in part f. For what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition . The clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk amendment number 38 printed in house 118216 offered by mr. Biggs of arizona. The chair the gentleman from arizona, mr. Biggs and a member opposed each will control five minutes. The chair recognizees the gentleman from arizona. Mr. Biggs i rise in in support of my amendment. Take it to precovid levels and direct 15 million to fiscal level 2024. We introduced many bills to take a line item approach to reduce spending and bring us back to some rationality. The proposed funding level for the Business Center is 7 increase over fiscal year 2019 levels. The farm production is a new office within the department ofagriculture and intended to support the farmer facing components. Under the Biden Administration they are pushing climate alaceratism and how usda is advancing equity by increasing financial underserved groups. This would ensure it is not promoting divisive ideology but focuses on agricultural producers. The chair the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. Mr. Bishop claim time in in opposition to the amendments. These amendments go to undermine the ability of us dmp a to do what it can do for the American People. This amendment cuts funding and if you keep cuts you will make this agency unable to deliver on its promises to the American People. Its a bad amendment and a cut that doesnt need to and and i urge its opposition and i yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentleman from arizona is recognized. Mr. Biggs i have to say im baffled a little bit because i never hear from across the aisle like we are on the other side of an ocean, an ocean separates us. I never hear my colleagues say they want to reduce spending on any program. I just never hear it. Instead, they want to continually propose big spending programs that we dont have money for. And then they want to do something thats actually selfdefeating by increasing taxes. We have significant revenue. We just outspend the revenue. We just outspend it every time. What happened after covid . Well, im proposing we go back to precovid levels. What happened during covid, the Federal Reserve had to auction so many treasuries and offering higher rates. What did that do . That fueled higher rates. Now with rates so much higher, the bank is forced to borrow all its prior investments which they did at 1 and now we are 5. 3 and if you are doing bonds, your value of your asset has decreased, thats whats happened. Thats what happened. And it puts us in massive economic jeopardy. We have to acknowledge that. And thats the reason that the fed has incurred 53. 5 billion on interest expense, a trend that is going to continue in this quarter and im going to submit for the record an article by Daniel Horowitz of this date with this information. The memo talks some more about what should be done. What should be done a yeah. Thank you. The chair under general leave. Mr. Biggs we have a structural deficit of 2 trillion 700 billion in interest, our economy is slowing down, the question is, what could we do . How about bringing in our federal spending so the currency and how about we unleash American Energy so we have cost pressure to reduce costs on the energy side and we have traditional currency protection on the inflation side. That would help. But we dont see anything from the hill from which my colleagues across the way speak. We dont hear from the white house either. Imurging adoption of this measure. But it moves us in that direction, i yield. The chair the the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona. Those in favor, say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. And the amendment is agreed to. For what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma seek recognition . I have an amendment at the desk. Choirmt the clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk amendment number 41 offered by mr. Creche even of oklahoma. The chair it is now in order tore consider pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman from oklahoma and a member opposed to it will each control five minutes, the chair recognizes the gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Brecheen the a of family four are spending more as they were compared to 2021, 15,000 per year to the average family you because of excessive Government Spending that is driving the valuation of our currency and i still ranch. When you talk to farmers and ranchers, the biggest input is 4. Barbed wire and feed truck, used tractors, everything is costing twice what it did a few years ago. The price in agriculture is 23 just in two years under this administration. To help americas farmers and ranchers, we need to cut and devaluation right now for every dollar we are spending, only 70 of it is paid for. We are charging 30 to our kids and grandkids who want to inherit those farms and ranches. My conservative colleagues are urging colleagues to reduce overall spending. The cut im proposing is a modest 6. 5 cut from the underlying bill. Funds at a r. C. S. , i know in our programs. Heavy equipment excavation, i built ponds. I have gotten good advice. My question is to my friends and my question to my friends in agriculture can we cannot return to the precovid spending levels to give our kids at the blessing of liberty. There is money that can be cut that isnt conservation related. The Biden Administration is carrying out a leftist agenda. The Equity Division is to align equity into the programs and services. Nrcs needs to meet President Bidens goal. The justice 40 Initiative Goal is to pick winners and losers and have benefits flow to disadvantaged that are overburdened by pollution. Nrcs have created air lesbian, gay special interest. It provides resources such as pride calendars pronounce in the workplace and lgbtq spotlights. This is not the original role. It demonstrates there is excess, i know this agency. But if we are going to be serious about giving our kids a chance we cannot every program that we like from what has to be a nation that starts living within its means. This 6. 5 cut is more than reasonable and i reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Bishop in opposition. I rise in strong opposition to this amendment, cutting figure nor the National Resources conservation an additional 8 would make it worse. This is a very, very Important Agency and provides valuable services to our communities as well as to our farmers. Youve got a number of programs that are vitally important. You have the Conservation Innovation programs. You have the Environmental Quality Incentives Program which helps farmers and ranchers and innovate conservation into their working lands and the grants that support the development of new tools and new practices and technologies to further our Natural Resource conservation on private lands. You have the conservation stewardship programs which builds on conservation efforts to strengthen the farmers operations. Emergency waterseed Protection Program which is a federal emergency recovery programs which recovers after natural disasters. The past two years, communities have been struck by floods, by wildfires, by hurricanes. Weve got problems. And the watershed Rehabilitation Program is there and needs to be fully funded and particularly this year what we have experienced with the Climate Change and watershed and flood prevention programs. Time and time again, we have to help this. We have to protect our forests and the forests programs and grazing lands in alaska is pennywise and foolish again. We must protect the programs because they protect our farmers and help this is a bad amendment and urge its rejection and yield back my time. The chair the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. Mr. Beechen i had someone say governing should be easy, the amount of government you want is the amount of government youre willing to pay for. But the fact is were not paying for it on the government level. Were asking our kids and grandkids to pay for this. For every dollar were spending now, were asking our children to pick up 30 of the tab. So the question is, when will we start being responsible . Looking out for the blessing of liberty for our children and grandkids . This is a 6. 5 reduction. The underlying bill if adopted leavings 850 million unto nrcs. We are addicted to our overspend in this nation. And so fiscal sanity is crying out. Future generations are crying out, start somewhere. Im asking my colleagues to start here with me. The chair does the gentleman yields back . Mr. Brecheen he does. The chair the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from oklahoma. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the the chair the ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to. For what purpose does the gentleman from seek recognition . Mr. Bishop id like to demand a recorded vote. The chair pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from oklahoma will be postponed. The gentleman will suspend. The chair understands that amendment number 42 will not be offered. It is now in order to consider amendment number 43 printed in part f of house report 118216. For what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma seek recognition . Mr. Brecheen thank you, mr. Chairman. An amendment pending at the desk. The chair the clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk amendment 43 offered by mr. Brecheen of oklahoma. The chair pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. Brecheen, and a member opposed will be recognized. The chair recognizes the gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Brecheen we hit 33 trillion, the first time in our nations history. It means as of today any baby born in the hospital in this country opens their eyes and owes 98,000 and will only pay it by a lower standard of living because of the selfishness of the generation before them. If we continue at this rate of overspending were sacrificing their future, make no mistake about that. Thats why were trying to rein in the spending and return to precovid levels. We have to stop spending. It would eliminate the rental Assistance Program which is one of 25 duplicative housing programs. I want to recognize the word duplicative. 25. This amendment if adopted would save 1. 6 billion, thats real numbers. Today the federal government subsidizes low income families through more than 25 duplicative housing programs consisting of projects, vouchers, financing, grants to state and local governments and includes 20 different entities administering 160 different programs, tax expenditures and other tools supporting homeownership and rental housing. In 2021 the federal government spent over 57 billion on low Income Housing programs benefiting 9. 3 million americans. We have 333 million americans total in this nation. This particular program represents only 2. 8 of federal housing Assistance Programs. This Duplicative Program should be rolled under the department of housing and urban development to improve efficiency. In 2012 and 2016 reports, the Government Accountability office recommended consolidating many of these programs. Duplicative Duplicative Programs. O. M. B. Proposed moving rental housing programs to h. U. D. To improve efficiency and service delivery, produce savings by reducing bureaucracy costs. According to the o. M. B. Under the Trump Administration, quote, usda housing programs would serve eligible rural areas established in the 19 lows in response to an underrepresentation of National Housing programs in rural areas. Since then the rationale for separate Rural Housing programs at usda has become outdated giving h. U. D. s role in serving communities throughout the nation, including many in rural areas. In fact due in large part to the sheer size of its programs, h. U. D. Serves more households in eligible areas than usda does. The g. A. O. Found the consolidation of agencies or Administrative Functions could yield a more efficient oversight and administrative structure for cost savings in essential housing programs and they recommended h. U. D. Consolidate duplicative housing programs. The duplication of Program Services provides headaches and confusions to the neediest of americans wanting to know where to go. Its time to streamline programs and get our fiscal house in order. What is causing so many young adults outside of this program in the administration not to afford their homes, high Interest Rates driven by overspending. This 1. 6 billion this amendment proposes represents a return to fiscal sanity. For every dollar were spending were only paying for 70 of it. When are we getting serious about spending restraint for the next generation . I reserve the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman reserves. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Bishop i claim opposition. The chair the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Bishop this bill, our funding bill, funds Rural America. We as members of congress ought to be committed to assuring that people who live in Rural Communities are not disadvantaged simply because of their rural zip code. I urge us to defeat this amendment because housing, affordable, decent housing is something that every american ought to have action to regardless to where he or she lives. And of course this funding for Rural America is com probable to the same programs urban americans have access to. It provides support for families so that they can afford to have decent housing. To cut this is to really punish people who need the help for decent housing who happen to live in Rural America. This is something we should not do. Rural americans should have the same opportunities and realize the American Dream of any american at any place they live and urge the defeat of this amendment. Its a bitter, nasty amendment that hurts people who need a help up a hand up. So i urge this amendment be defeated. The chair the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. Mr. Brecheen thank you, in closing i want to reiterate, duplication of producing. There are 25 Duplicative Programs in the area and represents 2 of all federal housing. We can help the americans by streamlining housing programs and get our own fiscal house in order and urge my colleagues to support this commonsense reduction in duplication and yield. The chair the gentleman yields back. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from oklahoma. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair the ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Bishop id like to request a recorded vote. The chair pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from oklahoma will be postponed. It is now order to consider amendment 45 printed in part f of house report 118216. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recollection . Mr. Perry i have an amendment at the desk. The chair the clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk house report 111216 offered by mr. Perry of pennsylvania. The chair pursuant to resolution 723, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Berry, and a member opposed control five minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. Mr. Perry this amendment cuts this account, the Rural Business program account in half from last years enacted budget amount of 43 million. The Rural Business cooperative service, like a lot of washington, d. C. Programs has a good name, it doesnt always do good things. Unfortunately, it continues the age old government sin of picking winners and losers instead of just letting the market work. Small businesses, you know, i ran a Small Business and people would tell me the government wants to be a good partner. I wasnt looking for a partner in my business, i was looking to run my business and if it was a partner, it surely wasnt the government that had no idea what i did in my business. What businesses need is for the government to get out of the way and stop making it difficult if they dont bend the knee to whatever the government demands of them. Let me tell you what were funding with this money. This comes right from the code cited in this appropriations bill. Loans for the purposes of reducing the reliance on nonRenewable Energy sources by encouraging the development and construction of Solar Energy Systems and other Renewable Energy systems. If you want to do that, you can get some of this money. If you dont want to do that, can you forget it. Ladies and gentlemen, weve seen the government mandated shift to green and oftentimes Unreliable Energy resources and weve seen what its done to the country. The secretary of energy tried to take a drive a little while ago in her battery operated vehicle and didnt make it too far. Were not against these things but the market should decide, not the government. The government is not the market and it doesnt make the most efficient decisions. Even in places where the shift hasnt directly caused tragedy, every single one of our constituents are facing higher prices because of these policies. Ladies and gentlemen, because of these policies, were literally building a grid on top of the grid we already have and the grid we have were actually diminishing at the very same time were demanding more from that grid. Remember your Health Care Costs how they were going to go down when we socialized medicine with the Affordable Care act and we couldnt afford it . Get ready because you wont aforth your electricity either and this Program Supports that unaffordability and why it should end. This is the tip of the iceberg and this spending fight highlighted the amount of waste in the federal government and duplication the gentleman before me talked about. I want a list of agencies that offer direct or indirect funding for this very thing, department of agriculture, department of commerce and department of housing and department of treasury and small weiss administration. My goodness if every household and business duplicated everything the federal government did, theyd be broke, too, because we sure are now, ladies and gentlemen. Again, im more than sportive of Small Businesses and towns is how i got my start, picking fruit, bailing hay, working at Small Businesses, First Business outside of agriculture was rays exxon on route 115. Thats a Small Business. And these businesses like every other one and our consumers faced the record high cost of living due to government mandated shutdowns and harmful biden policies. Every single one of these businesses and individual taxpayers, all taxpayers ought to keep more of their money that they earn instead of having it restricts to whoever the government chooses to be the winner. Mr. Chairman, i urge support of this amendment and reserve the balance. The chair the gentleman reserves. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Bishop in op position. The chair the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Bishop this should be defeated and will cut money by an additional 44 . Agricultural cooperatives provide effective marketing, low cost surprise and services to their member owners and cooperatives bring in electricity, affordable housing, Capital Financial services, telecommunications, health care, food, hardware, building supplies, and countless other goods and services to people who live in Rural Communities. Just the example for electricity, there are 900 coops, electric membership cooperations that serve 42 Million People in this country and in 48 of the 50 states and cover 251 of the land area in the United States of we need the Rural Business cooperative service to help support these rural coops that help bring marketing in our rural commodities. Agriculture is a very lucrative business and happens in our Rural Communities for the most part and we need this cooperative service. This is a bad amendment. Its, again, pennywise, poundfoolish. I urge its defeat. I yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. Mr. Perry i yield one minute to the gentleman. Coming to the floor with a specific idea of how we stop the out of control federal spending leading to 2 trillion deficit and runaway inflation. Thats the bottom line. There are plenty of ideas circulating ideas but we need to cut spending. Mr. Chair, i suggest going after parts of the federal government that encourage high cost energy, its all high costs, thats a fact of the matter. We want to create low energy, we have to extract our natural gas. All that we are doing with programs like this that fund Renewable Energy is yielding, unilateral disarmament to china and doesnt belong in the Agriculture Department. I yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. The gentleman from pennsylvania has expired. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from pennsylvania. Those in favor, say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise snr pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from pennsylvania will be postponed. It is now in order to consider amendment number 48 printed in part fful house report 118216, for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition . I discuss the critical need the chair the gentleman will suspend. Does the gentleman have an amendment at the desk . Number 48 . Mr. Nunn it is. The clerk amendment number 48 printed in part fmp of house report 118216 offered by mr. Nun of iowa. The chair the gentleman from iowa and a member opposed will each control five minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from iowa. Mr. Nunn in my home state of iowa, nearly a third of our state is considered a broadband desert. Hundreds of thousands are left out from the critical access they need for a young mother to get telemedicine and a farmer to have the Artificial Intelligence or a veteran to get the access they need. As a parent, we know all too well the challenges of Rural Communities to get the same access some of our states receive. It is not enough to get internet but high quality broadband. Not just in my home state. These small investments allow young entrepreneurs to work remote and farmers to cultivate toll feed the world and help connect to the us dmp a reconnect and allow access to grow over 400,000 households not just in iowa but nationwide. There is more work to be done. I offer this amendment to raise the awareness to improve this program to ensure we are investing. I want to make sure this is something that is enduring and not an appropriations bill a plan like the farm bill and with that, chairman thompson on the ag committee we can incorporate this. I would like to withdraw my amendment and yield time to the chairman of the ag committee. The chair does the chairman wish to reserve . Mr. Nunn i do. The chair the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Thompson during this congress the House Committee on agriculture has had one goal to empower our farm families and invigorate our families. And be need to gain access to affordable highspeed internet. I thank mr. Nunn and to develop smart policy ideas to bring Broadband Internet to every corner of america. The House Committee on agriculture has worked hard to close the connectivity gap. The gentleman from iowa has been a welcomed addition to those conversations. Every member of this house is using funds wisely and we will report a farm bill that does just that. We will ensure that Broadband Networks financed by usda broadband programs. Mr. Williams offer services. This is in collaboration and that is what we are doing when we draft the next farm bill. We will ensure usda broadband programs can meet the needs of Rural America. I appreciate him taking the time tonight to raise important issues and his willingness to withdraw his amendment and continue this conversation through the farm bill process. And we advance the 2023 farm bill through the house and onto the president s desk. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentleman from iowa is recognized. Mr. Nunn i thank chairman thompson. And for many of us through ag communities to improve our broadband. We have seen this type of infrastructure can grow our economy. With that, mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment from consideration. The chair without objection. It is now in to consider amendment number 51. For what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition . Domedz domedz the clerk amendment number 5 printed in part fmp of house report 118216 offered by mr. Donalds of florida. The chair the gentleman from florida and a member opposed each will control five minutes. The chair recognizees the gentleman from florida. Donald donald this restores the funding to frchlt y. 2019 levels. Our government spends a lot of money and one of the things that is critical to get our fiscal house in order is to look at line items precovid and we plussed up a lot of these agencies and departments and the covid pandemic was a reason to do so. It is now time to start getting the fiscal house in order by being focused on the programs. The chair the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Bishop i claim time in opposition. The chair the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Bishop i rise in opposition. This will reduce the Farm Agricultural Services and promoting agricultural exports developing overseas markets and increasing global Food Security. This would harm American Farmers because they would have less opportunities to market their commodities abroad. There is already a 14. 15r cut imposed by the majority in these bills and these cuts would further harm our American Farmers. I urge opposition to this amendment and i reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from florida. Am. We are talking about moving the requested number down 23. 4 million. In 2019 we spent 213 million on the Foreign Agricultural service. All we are saying is move back to that line. But we dont have the additional resources. We have to be prudent with the peoples money and still accomplish the mission and i yield one minute to the gentleman from maryland. The chair the gentleman from maryland. Mr. Harris i congratulate the member on how to cut our 2 trillion federal deficit. Once again, it is easy to spend money and make a list of a thousand programs that are deserving programs. But we have to borrow every single cent to fund the programs in this agriculture bill and our grandchildren have to pay it back. Thats immoral. I yield back. The chair the gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Bishop it is interesting to hear the discussion about a 2 trillion when it was passed by the last administration, 2 trillion they cut the taxes and reduced the amount of revenue. Come on. You balanced the budget. Lets be real here. This is a subterfuge. We need to defeat this amendment and need tore move forward and produce an agriculture bill that addresses the needs of the American People in 2023. I yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentleman from florida is recognized for 2 1 2 minutes. I dont know why it needs to be spent for the agriculture foreign service. The tax cuts and jobs act has yielded more revenue to the federal government than any time. The Minority Party refuses to acknowledge that actual tax which reduces rates on producers in our country yields more tax revenue to the federal government. They refuse to acknowledge that. If you ask tore a recipe, it is lower marginal tax rates, consistent controlled spending restraint at the federal level over a period of time. Those two things will yield us to spending less in this government and provide more prosperity to all of the people that we serve regardless of where they fall on the economic ladder. I ask my colleagues to support this amendment and what we should be doing and i yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from florida. Those in favor, say aye. Opposed say no. The ayes have it. And the amendment is agreed to. The chair understands that amendment number 52 will not be offered. The chair understands that number 53 will not be 543. Now to consider amendment number 54. For what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition . Mr. Biggs i have an amendment at the desk. The clerk amendment number 54 printed in part f of house report 118216 offered by mr. Biggs of arizona. The chair the gentleman from arizona, mr. Biggs and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. Mr. Biggs mr. Chairman, i rise in support of my amendment which would promote 7. 4 trillion to deficit reduction. I will repeat again what has been said so often here, annual Discretionary Spending exploded over the covid19 response. No one thought our government was too small before covid and were spending 200 billion more in fiscal 2023 for the same government we had before. Deficits exceed 2 trillion. Let me just make this clear. 2019, we spent about 4. 9 trillion, 4. 7 million to 4. 9 trillion, depends on who is telling you and our revenue would be 5. 2 trillion. Wouldnt it be great to get back to those 2019 spending levels with our current revenue levels . Then you would not be increasing your deficit, your structural deficit. The spending deficits we have are out of control, and theyre leading to this massive National Debt which is fueling inflation and going to be generational theft. So lets talk about the food for peace title 2 grant programs. Since the program was established in the 1950s, funding for the program has exploded. The Trump Administration fiscal year 2020 budget requested eliminating this program which is duplicative of other foreign aid programs. I say trump and they say oh, no, the trump derangement folks, the far left are going to go thats crazy. It wasnt just trump. He wasnt the first to do it. The obama administrations 2014 budget request recommended shifting all food for peace title 2 funded through the accounts operation bills, the foreign ops appropriations bill and cited potential improvements to flexibility, timeliness and efficiency. Im urging us to wipe out 1. 74 billion of wasteful duplicative spending and put it in deficit reduction. I reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Bishop i claim the time in opposition. The chair the the gentleman claims the time in opposition and is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Bishop as a reminder the bill cuts the food for Peace Program by 69 and passed in the full committee. During a time of increased need and difficult decisions ahead for prioritizing funding from this program, this amendment would further cut food for peace. Additionally today weve already considered three other stand alone amendments to cut the program. And not only do i oppose this amendment due to its effects on people without Food Security across the globe, i also oppose it due to its effect on our farmers here at home. U. S. Commodities are a key pillar of this program and cutting funding would directly harm those farmers who produce these commodities that go to this program. There is an International Aid shortfall of commodities including maybe of the commodities the American Farmers proudly produce such as wheat, rice, corn, according hum, lent sorghum, lentils and peas. I urge opposition to this amendment. Thank you, and i reserve the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from arizona is recognized. Mr. Biggs my counterparts in debate said the federal government should supply every need to every american. And now they want to persist in trying to satisfy the needs and wants of people offshore as well. We cant afford to take care of every need of every american today and why you have adds 2 trillion structural deficit and does not include the 700 billion were spending in interest. We simply cannot afford to keep giving our future away. And thats what were doing here. Im going to reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from georgia. Does the gentleman mr. Bishop i yield back. The chair the gentleman from arizona may close. Mr. Biggs im encouraging everyone to support this important amendment and think its important and yield back my time. The chair the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it, the ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to. Mr. Bishop i request a recorded vote. The chair for what purpose does the gentleman from seek recognition . Mr. Bishop i request a recorded vote. The chair pursuant to rule 6 clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on this amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona will be postponed. The chair understands that amendment number 55 will not be offered. The chair further understands that it is now in order to consider amendment number 56 printed in part f of house report 118216. For what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition . Mr. Ogles i have an amendment at the desk. The chair the clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk amendment 56 printed in part f of house report 118216 offered by mr. Ogles of tennessee. The chair pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman from tennessee, mr. Ogles, and and and a member opposed will control five minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from tennessee. Mr. Ogles thank you, mr. Chairman. Our fuss Assistance Program is broken. It provides little to no value to taxpayers and harms the recipient countrys. Im grateful for the managers amendment that reduces funding for the food for Peace Program and urge extending the cost cuts to its sister program, mcgoverndole, sometimes known as food for education. When we dump free food on developing markets, their domestic farmers cant compete. I mean, who can compete with free . Their domestic farmers are forced out of bounds and investment in their domestic Agriculture Sector dwindles, in fact we hurt those we seek to assist and weve known this program has existed for years. In 2010, watching International Food aid destroy his countrys agricultural sector, the president of haiti begged us to stop, to stop sending it. Further reflecting on his we need to stop impoverishing farmers and countries with developing agricultural sectors and stop discouraging private investment in those sectors while supporters of the mcgoverndole program touted its alleged role supporting democracy and good governance, a look at the recipient countries proves that that isnt true. Usda determines a list of priority countries for mcgoverndole each year. This years recipients, seven countries, nicaragua, which is ruled by Daniel Ortegas thugaucracy throws outside opposition in prison and thats on a good day and also offers torture and other human rights abuses. Then theres togo whose president first took power in a military coup in 2005 and cameroons president won reelection uninterrupted since coming in power in 1982 and at the time usda put nepal on its list and had a communist party leader. These are not beacons of democracy or good governance. Haiti still remains on the priority list and look at haiti today. Decades have failed to produce a reliable government there. I reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Bishop i rise in opposition. The chair the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Bishop i rise in strong opposition to this amendment. This bill cuts the agricultural funding bill back to a level last seen in 2001 and apparently those cuts arent enough because this amendment would cut 50 from the mcgoverndole International Food program for education. Thats 50 cut from funding supporting School Children abroad. This is a proven successful program, a Bipartisan Program which takes concrete steps to ensure the Program Activities continue after u. S. Support is no longer provided. This money is not wasted. Its not indefinite for any one location. Its a sound investment to promote the health and education of School Children, especially girls, in need around the globe. Were four days away from a Government Shutdown and instead of debating a bipartisan path forward, were debating further cuts to programs that have broad bipartisan support. I urge my colleagues on both side of the aisle to vote against this amendment. Thank you. I reserve thebalance of my time. The chair the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from tennessee is recognized. Mr. Ogles haiti is a wreck, nicaragua sided with the c. C. P. They led the charge to expel taiwan as a permanent observer, replacing with the butchers of beijing, of the seven priority countries, six of them including cameroon, help all, three langa, togo voted to support china on the oppressive security law on hong kong. The recipient countries have proven to be antiamerican. Their countries failed to produce agricultural sectors because local farmers cant compete with free. This isnt saving people from hunger. Its destroying the very people were trying to assist. I would urge congress to continue to reform its Food Aid Program and ill just say, mr. Chairman, if you want to sow the seeds of freedom and harvest the yield of democracy, pursuing failed policies is not the answer. I reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from georgia. Mr. Bishop i yield back. The chair the gentleman may close. Mr. Ogles i urge adoption of my amendment. These policies are failed, theyre not successful. The very countries were aiming to support are hurting. Lets help these nations but this is not the answer. I yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from tennessee. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it, the ayes have it, the amendment is agreed to. It is now in order to consider amendment number 57 printed in part f of house report 118216. For what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition . Mr. Biggs i have an amendment at the desk. The chair the clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk amendment 57 printed in part f of house report 118216 offered by mr. Biggs of arizona. The chair pursuant to House Resolution 723, the gentleman from arizona, mr. Biggs, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. Had the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. Mr. Biggs mr. Chairman, i rise in support of my amendment to strike funding for the mcgoverndole International Food for education and child Nutrition Program. I appreciate my colleague, mr. Ogles, is reducing it and will be part of the underlying bill since it just passed envoys vote. My amendment would direct the entire 240 million supporting that program that would be used to reduce our deficit in 2024. Mr. Ogles certainly made a strong case as to why that will sob but im going to add a couple points to it. Im not going to belabor the fact that we continue to spend ourselves into oblivion at the federal level and thats causing tremendous Inflationary Pressures, bringing stress to every American Family. What im going to talk about instead is what happens in any federal bureaucracy, what we see government do constantly. Mr. Ogles talked about the negative policy aspects of it, but i want to cover briefly what happens in the federal bureaucracy on the spending side of it. This particular program, the mcgoverndole education child Nutrition Program received funds in fiscal year 2004, just 20 years ago, 20 short years ago. The bill set aside 50 million to carry out the program. That was the program, 50 million. Help around the world ostencibly, right . But what happens to federal bureaucracies. They grow like top seed. This one has grown to 240 million the Trump Administration precovid budget requested recommended that the program be eliminated as it lacks evidence as the program being implemented to reduce Food Insecurity and food produced in communities around the world. It is a great deal for u. S. Agricultural producers whose surplus is purchased by the federal government but the provision of free food, as mr. Ogles so eloquently pointed out, is required to be delivered and that causes native, local production to decline in those states. And im going to reserve now before i finish. The chair the gentleman reserves. Does any member claim time in opposition . For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Bishop claim time in opposition. I oppose this amendment. Its unnecessary and harmful. Global commodity shortage and conflict that fuels hunger around the world, this bill has already been cut by 14. 15 . Further cuts will cause to not improve education of the children around the world. I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and i reserve the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from arizona. Mr. Biggs why else do we want to eliminate this program. The provision of free food to these seven nations on this list that is required to be delivered on a not so timely manner on u. S. Flagged ships distorts markets on those neighings receiving aid and increases the cost. It is a feed them for a day program. It isnt eliminating Food Insecurity, its slow, its costly and growing and pushes out local production and we cant afford it anymore. When at some point we are going to have to say, we are having trouble funding everything in our own country and now send it abroad. That is something i dont think the American People stand for. I urge the adoption of this amendment and i yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Bishop i yield back. The chair the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona, those in favor, say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The amendment is agreed to. Mr. Bishop i request a recorded vote. The chair pursuant to clause 6, rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona will be postponed. It is now in order to consider amendment number 61 printed in part f of house report 118216. Mr. Biggs i rise in support of my i have an amendment at the desk. The clerk amendment number 61 printed in part f of house report 118216 offered by mr. Biggs of arizona. The chair pursuant to House Resolution 273, the gentleman from arizona, mr. Biggs and a member opposed, each will control. Mr. Biggs i rise in support of my amendment to precovid levels. This amendment would direct sphending levels. Annual discretionary and no one thought our government was too small before covid. We are currently spending hundreds of billions more in fiscal year 2023 for the same government functions that we had before. Deficits are now projected to exceed 2 trillion for this fiscal year and the u. S. Eclipsed 33 million in debt. And earlier in the debates today we were told if we go down this road that we are go to go see a threatened Credit Rating reduction. We have already seen that. Moodys is threatening to do it again. Why . Its because, the last time they downgraded us, they said we dont have an effective plan to handle and reduce our federal deficit. Well, we are not we dont have a plan anymore. We have a plan to increase our deficit. And my bill attempts to take one small bite at trying to shrink that structural deficit that leads to the revenue we have ever year. This exceeded in fiscal year 2019. If we were to shrink the spending, we just might be able to a void adding to the National Deficit. Im begging us at least can we do it for a month, two months, three months and you will see this country will not fall apart and prosper and grow and better off. I reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson i rise in opposition. The chair the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Thompson thank you, mr. Chairman, i rise in opposition. I appreciate the gentleman taking a bite, but this will create fiscal irresponsibility and create great harm. This is one of our two Financial Market regulators acting as a cop on the beat. The commissions work is essential to ensure that Commodity Markets are fair for all participants and largest Financial Institutions to the smallest businesses. Robust, fair allow for the accurate risk control and price discovery for imports for agricultural and energy products. These markets allow consumers the commodities to manage the risks making american businesses more competitive around the world. The commissions work is essential to protecting the public from financial frauds and scams. And americans seeking to participate in the Digital Assets markets. This is one of the most Cost Effective financial regulators we have. Its policy markets as complex and important as Securities Markets with a budget that is just a slice, a sixth of the s. E. C. s 2 billion budget. The underlying bill reduces the funding which is less than f. Y. 2021. Enacting this amendment would reduce the funding to 219 million which is a cut, 49 million than the intent. Instead of bringing it back to 2019 funding levels thrks would bring it back to its 2014 funding levels. This amendment would result in a 40 reduction in funding for the commission and jeopardize the critical work that the agency does to support the economy and protect the americans from financial fraud. I oppose this amendment and i encourage my colleagues to dot same. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. Mr. Biggs i appreciate my friend, the Agriculture Committee chairman and his opposition, i must disagree. The proposed funding level forever the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is nearly 30 increase over the fiscal year 2019 levels. The cftc is following the footsteps with efforts to mandate without Statutory Authority a regime on the private sector. Last year, the ff krmp ft krmp. And west virginia. Attorney general lynch general said that disclosure through rulemaking would fairly implicate the major questions doctrine and raised First Amendment and courts would find it to be arbitrary and capricious. The c fmp t krmp is seeking hefty fines. That is typical of the bureaucratic regime under the Biden Administration. Adoption of my amendment would ensure that it is utilizing its mission to foster sound futures and option markets not becoming the biden strayings enforcer. I urge adoption and i yield back. The chair the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona. Those in favor, say aye. Those opposed, no. Are in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the amendment iser. Mr. Thompson i request a recorded vote. The chair further proceedings on the vote will be postponed. It is now in order tore consider amendment number 62. For what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition snr. I have an amendment at the desk. The clerk amendment number 62 printed in part f of house report 118216 offered by mr. Donalds of florida. The chair the gentleman from florida, mr. Donalds and a member opposed each will control five minutes. My amendment does reducing the for the future commodity funding. The job of the cftc has been operating for a very long time. The additional 96 million is not needed why and regulate the commodity platform and nothing has changed from 2018 to 2024. In my view, we need to restore those levels in part because the cftc will accomplish its mission, number one. And number two, we are running a deficit and we need to pull some of these agencies back to levels that the american taxpayer can begin to afford not the wishful thing of the federal agencies. With that, i reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition snr. Mr. Thompson i rise in opposition to this amendment. The chair the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Thompson good thing i represent pawks tawni, pennsylvania, because it is groundhog. I dont see the point of defunding the police, the police that provide safeguards for those who are involved in the derivative market, those Small Businesses, those farmers, those americans. And as i mentioned before, the cftc is one of our two financial regulators and police within this area that acting as a cop on the beat. The commissions work is essential to ensure that Commodity Markets are fair from the largest Financial Institutions to the smallest businesses. Robust and allow for the accurate risk control for essential economic inphuts for agricultural. They enable the producers to manage the risk making american businesses more competitive around the world. This commissions work is essential to protecting the public from financial frauds and scams including those targeting elderly, immigrants, americans seeking to participate in the digital market which is an increasing number given the state of Digital Assets in the Derivatives Market. The cft krmp is one of the coast effective regulators that we have. It is less than a fifth of the s. E. C. s 2 the bill reduces cftc undergo to less than fy2021. Enacting this amendment in the bill would reduce, quite frankly, this police force for protecting those investing through the Derivatives Market and funding of 200 million which is a cut 49 million greater than the sponsors intent. Instead of bringing the cftc back to 2018 funding levels, it amendment would bring the cftc back to 2011 funding levels. If enacted into law this amendment would result in a 45 reduction in funding for the commission and jeopardize the critical work the agency does to support the economy and protect americans from financial fraud. I strongly oppose this amendment and urge my colleagues to do the same. And i yield back. The chair the gentleman yield back. The gentleman from florida is recognized. Mr. Donalds thank you, mr. Speaker. A couple of things. Number one, the Regulatory Mission and the Enforcement Mission for the cftc has not been encumbered in any way over the last several years, so cutting their spending back at a time when the american taxpayer does not have more money first to give to the federal government and the leviathan of overspending but borrowing more for its future isnt prudent to do. Number two, congress has not outlined any Regulatory Framework around the Digital Assets framework. It does not exist because congress has not spoken about Digital Assets. For the cftc to take appropriations to regulate a space it has no Legal Authority to regulate in my view is outside of the purview of the cftc. There might be a time in the future where congress would regulate legislative responsibilities around the Digital Assets marketplace but that has not occurred at this time. And number three, id agree with the gentleman from pennsylvania, the cftc with respect to all regulators is one of the most costeffective. I believe the s. E. C. Is bloated and frankly out of control in a myriad of areas but that does not mean we just turn a blind eye to the budgets of every aspect of the federal government. We have to bring some semblance of fiscal sanity to this government and starting even with the good cops on the beat, quote, unquote, is a responsible thing to do. The cftc can still accomplish its mission if their budget is restrained to a degree, theres not been any significant issues in the Derivatives Market since 2008 where the cftc has not been able to accomplish its position and the lower funding level will allow them to do the same. I yield back. The chair the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from florida. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The amendment is agreed to. The chair understands that amendment number 64 will not be offered. It is now in order to consider amendment number 65 printed in part f of house report 118216. For what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek recognition . Mr. Graves i have an amendment at the desk. The chair the clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk amendment 65 printed in part f of house report 118216 offered by mr. Graves of louisiana. The chair pursuant to House Resolution 273, the gentleman from louisiana, mr. Grave, and a member opposed control five minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from louisiana. Mr. Braves thank you, mr. Chairman. In 1996 this congress came together to enact Work Programs for welfare programs. Mr. Chairman, let me be clear, the United States needs a social safety net and we need a social welfare program, let me say it again, as a safety net, as a program there to help those on a temporary basis at a time of need to offer a hand up. But under president clinton, under republicans and democrats working together in 1996 and i want to make note, mr. Chairman, then senator joe biden voted in support of installing work requirements for welfare programs such as for the snap program, supplemental nutritional Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. Under the program or under the law change, the work requirements simply meant that you needed to go to a job assistance center, a Job Training Center somewhere to gain the skills to connect you with available jobs. More recently, mr. Chairman, just months ago, republicans and democrats, and i want to make note, the majority of democrats in this chamber, the majority of democrats in this chamber and our President Joe Biden signed into law strengthening those work requirements. For example, raising the requirement up to age 55 that work capable individuals without dependents would be responsible for 20 hours of work in order to be eligible after an extended period for programs like food stamps. This body came together and established a hard cap on the percentage of individuals that a state may be able to exempt. But whats happened is weve watched the states abuse a loophole, a loophole that says if there are insufficient jobs, you dont have to comply with the work requirement. 18 states today have said that they have insufficient jobs. Mr. Chairman, thats ridiculous. We have one of the lowest Work Force Participation rates in modern history. We have 8. 8 million Jobs Available according to the labor statistics. Jobs are available. Lets be clear, for those who are going to come out and say this is mean, this is meanspirited, this is cruel, lets be clear, mr. Chairman. The objective of work requirements, im certain that bill clinton as president and then senator joe biden supported and more recently President Joe Biden signed into law. The objective here is following models that have shown getting people to job assistance centers, Job Training Centers, volunteering in their community and volunteering at their church helps improve people getting in the work force taking them off government dependence and become members of their society that determine their own future. Mr. Chairman, i urge adoption of this amendment and reserve. The chair the gentleman from reserves. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Bishop i rise in opposition to this amendment. The chair the gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Bishop i have extremely strong opposition to this amendment. There arent sufficient jobs for people in the state, who are we to take that states judgment away . The other side is always talking about states rights. Well, these are not People Living high on the hog. Theyre not people with excess money. I cannot and i will not support this amendment, nor will any of my democratic colleagues. It is mean and it is cruel to ask people to do something that is not possible if there are not jobs they cant be employed and they cant comply with this and the state should know better than we in washington. And if the state requests a waiver, which is a request, its not a mandate, then certainly the department can examine it and determine whether or not there is sufficient cause to justify the waiver, but we shouldnt just decide on our own decide a state doesnt have sense enough to know whats going on within its borders. We should not support this. And if included in a final conference agreement, i doubt that my democratic colleagues would provide the necessary votes for final passage more that the nor that the president would sign the bill. I urge us to defeat this amendment. It really makes no sense and it is mean and it is cruel. I yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from louisiana is recognized. Mr. Graves thank you. I yield one minute to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. The chair the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Perry i thank the gentleman from louisiana. Hes got a great amendment. He doesnt have great hair right now, theres a little too much of it. But he has a great amendment. Hes talking about the abuse of states. I come from pennsylvania where these waivers are continually abused, and lets face it, mr. Chairman, they wouldnt have to be abused at all. If my friends on the left would quit destroying the economy and the fabric of the household that makes a living and making everything more expensive, none of this would be required. First they destroy the houses income and subsidize it and force them to do this. These waivers are indicative of this policy, mr. Chairman. And the gentleman from louisiana makes a great point. Its a great amendment and should be adopted because these programs exist to help people but not to be abused by states that use them to push people further into poverty which is what happens and then they can never get out and theyre ever dependent and these waivers support that and why they should end and with that i yield the balance. The chair the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from louisiana is recognized. Mr. Graves thank you, mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, i want to respond to my friends comments. I actually agree with what he said. Unfortunately, hes not making any reference to my amendment. Lets be clear on what happens here. These are federal funds. So yes, absolutely, the federal government should be determining it. It has nothing to do with states rights. We dont let the states cut the check for the federal government. Thats inappropriate. No one is taking these benefits away. Taxpayers are funding these programs. All were doing is simply asking for 20 hours a week of volunteer time in return for being for receiving these very generous taxpayer funded benefits. Lastly, mr. Chairman, the outcomes show, studies after studies show this resorts to people getting back in the work force. This should be our objective. Why do we want to force people to stay on Public Welfare programs . That is cruel. We shouldnt be doing that to anyone and is entirely inappropriate and urge adoption of this amendment and yield back. The chair the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from louisiana. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The amendment is agreed to. It is now in order to consider amendment 66 printed in part f of house report 118216. For what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition . Mr. Tiffany mr. Speaker, i have an amendment at the desk. The chair the clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk amendment 67 in report 11216 offered by mr. Tiffany of wisconsin. The chair pursuant to resolution 723 and a member opposed will control five minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from wisconsin. Mr. Tiffany my amendment makes sure none of the funds made available will go towards funding a rule that will ban flavored milk like chocolate milk in schools and would ensure all types and flavors of milk are entitled to School Children. It was reported the usda is considering banning chocolate milk from elementary schools. The usda set a rule in february that would set new nutrition standards. It could limit the amount of flavored milk like chocolate and strawberry in high schools while children in elementary and middle school would be restricted to a variety of unflavored milk and this rule would affect nearly 30 million children that participate in the school milk programs. According to the journal of the American Dietetic Association removing flavored milk from schools resulted in a 62 reduction of milk consumption for kids in kindergarten to fifth grade as welling a a reduction in higher ages. Millions of children enjoy drinking milk and we shouldnt limit our childrens access to delicious and nutritious products like milk and urge my colleagues to vote yes on this bipartisan amendment and i reserve. The chair for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition . I seek time in opposition. The chair the gentleman is recognized. As the gentleman from wisconsin said prohibits funds to finalize and administer and enforce the milk section of the usdas proposed rule that aligns nutrition standards to the 2020 dietary guidelines for americans. Mr. Scott this appropriations rider is preemptive as the final rule and hadnt even been released by the department and is out of place because this issue should be taken up within the context of a child nutrition reauthorization, not an appropriations rider. But this amendment disregards the scientific process currently being undertaken to establish the nutrition guidelines. School meals and benches are required to be consistent for the guidelines for americans which are evidencebased recommendations to provide nutritional guidance. This would undermine the process to ensure that children receive the nutritional meals and replace it with a political process. It is critical to determine options in schools and the regulations are updated to align with the guidelines using a process that allows to adapttations in line with the latest scientific recommendations. Importantly, the department ofagriculture specifically has requested Public Feedback on the proposed milk options. But the bottom line is that scientific experts, not politicians should be the ones to determine that they should get it. Dozens organizations including academy of n nutrition and American Heart Association have urged congress to continue to respect the scientificbased process and not interfere with the procedure. I urge a novote on the amendment and i yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. Mr. Tiffany i would like to recognize my friend and neighbor in the third Congressional District of wisconsin. The chair the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. I rise in support of this amendment, which will continue the flavored milk. This is critical to childrens health. Milk is potassium for children. Dairy provides new try yents. Children are not consuming enough dairy to benefit. Removing flavored milk from schools deters children from drinking milk and allow milk to ensure our children have access to nutrients that they need. And i would say to my democrat colleagues that we must be cautious con flatting politics with science. And i yield back. I reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman has the only time remaining. Mr. Tiffany i recognize the gentleman from pennsylvania for. Mr. Perry i speak on behalf of parents and children and not on behalf of children and politicians. We didnt enact this federal government. We want to make the decisions. Parents want to make the decisions. We know whats best for us. Well figure it out ourselves and over the course of couple of hundred years we have done well without telling us what is good and what is bad. What is bad is School Lunches kids dont want to eat them. All the nutrition, they are not getting it. Only thing that they have got to eat and you are limiting that now. Its and tour surd and i thank the gentleman and i hope we win this amendment. I yield back. The gentleman from pennsylvania. Mr. Tiffany in many ways this may be the least of the amendments you will hear tonight but most of the amendments and heres the reason why. When you have a federal government that believes that they need to regulate the milk that are served to our kids, you have a federal government that is out of control. When you have a federal government that has a border that has become a boardless country and our federal government is the largest Human Trafficking country and you have a federal government that will not, will not take us back to Energy Independence and gasoline up to 4. 00 and fueled inflation, what in the world are they doing what are they doing trying to regulate what milk is served in our kids schools. And thats why we are trying to pass these amendments because they get america back into a place of fiscal responsibility and also sanity over what we have seen over the last couple of years. And finally, i would like to say that i come from americas dairyland and im going to fight for milk in our kids schools. I yield back. The chair the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from wisconsin. Those in favor, say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The amendment is agreed to. It is now in order to consider amendment number 67. For what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition . The clerk amendment number 67 printed in part f of house report 118216 offered by mr. Bost of illinois. The chair the gentleman from illinois and a member opposed each will control 10 minutes. Mr. Bost i rise in support of my amendment to restrict the secretary of agriculture from using taxpayer dollars to purchase electric vehicles. The American People have had enough of the Green New Deal mandates. Families and farmers who fear a steady march of Big Government, they know it is just the beginning before Big Government makes it harder to purchase the vehicles you have to drive and operate your farms and businesses. I have talked to car dealers who are having a hard time moving electric vehicles. No one wants to buy them. Not only do electric vehicles cost more, but they make us more dependent or global adversaries with the lithium batteries it takes to run them. America should not heed under the Biden Administration push. There are better solutions. Bio fuels offer a Tremendous Energy opportunity for our country that supports our farmers in the fields and consumers at the pump with cleaner and cheaper fuel. You know, the usda should be supportive of uplifting American Farmers not selling them out to please ac activities. My amendment shows that the peoples house will hold the Biden Administration accountable. I urge support and i reserve the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Bishop in opposition. I claim time in opposition. Electric vehicles produce no carbon d dioxide but create a healthy environment by reducing air pollution. Electric vks require less fluids. How would anyone object to having cleaner air and water for our children and grandchildren. This amendment prohibits the secretary of secretary agriculture which will reduce fuel costs and by 2035 most of the worlds auto makers will offer nothing but electric vehicles. And that is no reason to prohibit that build that fleet. And we are witnessing the impacts of Climate Change. Lets not prevent any steps that will help us address Climate Change. I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment and reserve the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from illinois is recognized. Mr. Bost i have met with members of the Auto Dealers Association whoville tremendous amounts of e. V. s that they cant sell and we continue to push from the Biden Administration. I would like to yield to the chair, 30 seconds. The chair the gentleman is recognized. This is a commonsense amendment. It is a myth to say that electrical vehicles produce no co2. Where does the like that come from . Most like that in the United States is producing co2. And why would the federal government produce a federal government that they wouldnt buy themselves. And we have 2 trillion deficit and i thank the gentleman from illinois and i yield back. The chair the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Bost did the alreserve or did the gentleman yield back . The chair the alreserved. Mr. Bost i will reserve. I reserve, but hes not here. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentleman from illinois. Mr. Bost i would like to yield one minute to the gentleman from minnesota. The chair the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. My colleagues have just talked about electric vehicles and how clean they are. Let me tell you something, when you mine those critical in a foreign land under zero Environmental Standards and zero labor standards when we can do it better here in this country in the district that i have the privilege, we have the biggest nickel copper find in the world. This administration wont let us mine those minerals here in the United States. They would rather have the communist china party and say we will get to this green energy and turn a blind eye to the atrocities and slave labor from congo where 1519 industrial mines are owned by the communist comien countries. Dont tell me that electric vehicles are cleaner. And i yield. The chair the gentleman from illinois reserves and has the only time remaining. The chairman is recognized. As i said, auto dealers since we put this in place cannot sell these vehicles. No one wants them. Even if government wants to force them to take them. They are offering tax incentives and a vehicle they dont want, we as United States citizens and my constituents and your constituents, mr. Speaker, no one understands that we are consumers. We like this freedom thing we have in this nation and want to make sure this Freedom Works for us. I am going to tell you, our farmers need to have vehicles that are affordable and reliable and that they can do the job of providing the food, fiber and all of the things that we require from our farmers to make sure that we can feed the world. And mr. Chairman, as we continue down this path, that doesnt allow them to do that. With that, i yield back and i encourage members to support this amendment. Thechair the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from illinois. Those in favor, say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion the ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to. It is now in order to consider amendment number 68 printed in house report 118216. I have an amendment at the desk. The clerk amendment number 68 printed in part f printed in house report 1818216. The chair pursuant to House Resolution 273 and a member opposed each will control five minutes. I rise to offer my amendment to the agricultural Rural Development. Amendment number 68 prohibits funding for the implementation this initiative causes generic drugs to have prices skyrocket which because of the unapproved drugs, many generic drugs were removed from the market and awarded to Large Pharmaceutical Companies to seek new applications which led to monopolistic practices. On top of this the new drug manufacturer was given market exclusivities and blocked other countries for providing generics for years. An example of this is the gout drug culture scene. When i was a resident at grady hospital through the Residency Program i treated those with gout. It was a cheap drug and the average american could afford it and it cost 11. After this initiative, the drug increased nearly 16 fold from 11 in 2009 to 190 in 2011. The average family cannot afford that. As of 2020, price increases of drugs approved through the unapproved Drug Initiative has increased u. S. Health spending by 3. 2 billion. High drug costs do not only interfere with the appropriate use of medications but force families to make impossible choices between their health care and other basic needs. If reinstated, the unapproved Drug Initiative would target an estimated 1, 500 drugs, even one increase would punish all of us, whether destitute or well insured, the only ones who winner big phrma. We all lose. Thats why i urge my colleagues to support amendment 68 which serves as a safeguard to ensure the f. D. A. Does not continue to implement the Drug Initiative hurting americans and placing a undue burden on the health care system. To be clear, there will never be a good use for this. It can only be used to profit and cannot benefit people we serve, especially the most vulnerable. I appeal to my fellow georgian, my fellow servant, my fellow christian, join me in a nonpartisan effort to protect the American People. And with that i reserve. The chair the gentleman reserves. Does any member claim time in opposition . Seeing none, the gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Mccormick thank you. I think with that ill go ahead and close. I yield back. The chair the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from georgia. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The amendment is agreed to. Its now in order to consider amendment 69 precipitationed in part f of house report 118216. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois seek recognition . Mrs. Miller i have an amendment at the desk. The chair the clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk amendment 69 printed in part f of house report 116216 offered by mrs. Miller of illinois. The chair pursuant to resolution 273, mrs. Miller and a member opposed will control five minutes. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from illinois. Mrs. Miller thank you. Under the Biden Administration, the Agriculture Department is being forced to pander to the lefts extreme ideology instead of helping farmers in Rural Communities. While farmers struggle with the increasing costs of inputs caused by the Biden Administration, the biden Agriculture Department is focusing on equity and Climate Change. The Agriculture Departments job is to support farmers and Rural Communities, not political equity reports. I urge my colleagues to stand with me and support this amendment to ensure that no funds go towards Biden Administrations woke agenda policies. Let us refocus the usda on its core mission of supporting farmers and Rural Communities. I urge the adoption of my amendment and i reserve the balance of my time. The chair the gentlelady reserves. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Bishop in opposition. The chair the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Bishop i oppose this amendment. It would interfere with carrying out the report of the equity commission. The commission made 32 recommendations on a range of topics such as environmental justice, increasing Financial Support for Minority Serving Institution and ensuring farmworkers have access to nutritious programs, among other top ins. These recommendations are a great First Step Towards addressing historical inequities and we should all support them. Therefore, i urge my colleagues to reject this amendment and reserve the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman reserves. The gentlelady from illinois is recognized. Mrs. Miller its time to refocus the usda on its core mission of supporting our farmers and Rural Communities. I reserve the balance of my time. The chair the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Bishop yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back. The gentlelady from is recognized from illinois. Mrs. Miller i yield back. The chair the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlelady from. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The amendment is agreed to. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, proceedings will now resume on those amendments printed in part f of house report 118216 on which further proceedings were postponed. Amendment 34, amendment 29, amendment 33, amendment 41, amendment 43, amendment 45, amendment 54 by mr. Biggs of arizona, amendment 57 by mr. Biggs of arizona, amendment 61 by mr. Biggs of arizona. The chair will reduce to two minutes the minimum time for my electronic vote after the first vote in this series. The Unfinished Business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment 24 printed in part f of house report 118216 by the gentleman from virginia, mr. Good on which further proceedings were postponed and the ayes prevailed by voice vote. The clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk amendment 54 in report 11626. The chair a recorded vote has been requested. Those in favor will rise and be counted. A sufficient number having arisen. A recorded vote is ordered and members will record their votes by electronic device. This will be a 15minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] are the chair on this vote the yeas are 175, nays are 254. The amendment is not adopted. The Unfinished Business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment 29, printed in part f of house report 118216 by the gentleman from arizona, mr. Biggs, on which further proceedings were postponed on which the ayes prevailed by a voice vote. The clerk will redesignate the amendment. The clerk amendment 29 printed in part f of house report number 118216 offered by mr. Biggs of arizona. The chair a recorded vote has been present, those in support of the requested vote will rise and be counted. A sufficient number having arisen. A recorded vote is ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device. Guys, this is a twominute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the chair on this vote the yeas are 119, nays are 307. The amendment is not adopted. The Unfinished Business is a request for a recorded vote on amendment 33 printed in part f of house report 118216 by the gentleman from arizona, mr. Biggs, on which further proceedings were postponed on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. The clerk will redesignate the amendment. The clerk amendment 33 printed in part f of house report 116216 offered by mr. Biggs of arizona. The chair a recorded vote has been requested. Those will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, members will record their votes by electronic device. This will be a twominute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the chair on this vote the amendment is not adopted. The Unfinished Business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 41 printed in part f of house report 118216 by the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. Brecheen on which further proceedings were postponed and eyes were prevalent envoys vote. The clerk will redesignate the amendment. The clerk house report offered by mr. Brecheen of oklahoma. The chair a requested vote has been requested and those will rise and be counted, a sufficient number having arisen. Members will record their votes by electronic device. Twominute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the chair on this vote the yeas are 85, the nays 343, the amendment the chair all right. The yeas are 86, the nays are 343, the amendment is not adopted. The Unfinished Business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment 43. Printed in part f of house report 11116, the the gentleman mr. Brecheen on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. The clerk will redesignate the amendment. The clerk amendment 43 printed part f of 116216 offered by mr. The chair a request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. A sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic vi