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, i
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