McCollum Remarks at The Good Acre Food Hub’s “Investing in Rural America” Roundtable with USDA Sec. Vilsack

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) delivered the following remarks today at The Good Acre Food Hub’s  Investing in Rural America Roundtable with USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack:

– As Prepared For Delivery –

I want to start off by welcoming you all to the Fourth Congressional District!

A big thank you to our host, The Good Acre, for empowering farmers and food entrepreneurs by providing education, training, access to commercial kitchens and equipment, and many other resources to help build a food future that is equitable and sustainable.

Thank you to Secretary Vilsack for being here today!

I also want to thank everyone here for the important work you do in Minnesota’s Agricultural Sector—You play a huge role in Minnesota’s economy.

As they say: “No farmers, no food!”

As you know, the Farm Bill is due to be reauthorized in Congress by the end of this year, and I am working with my colleagues to send a bill to President Biden that has Minnesota agriculture front and center, focusing on food security, sustainability, and supporting our small and independent farms.

However, we’re nine months into the year, and Republicans controlling the House haven’t even released a draft Farm Bill yet.

The Farm Bill sets the policy framework and authorizes funding levels for the Appropriations Committee – which is the committee I serve on.

While authorization legislation is a guide, each year, as Appropriators we must pass funding legislation that keeps the federal government open and serving the American people.

And on appropriations for this year, there is trouble on the horizon for farmers and the rest of country.

Amidst the chaos that we’ve witnessed over the past nine months in Congress, House Republicans reneged on their own deal they made in May when funding levels were set at 2023 level in the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

Instead, in June Majority Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee passed a FY24 Agriculture Appropriations bill which cuts funding by 30%, down to levels last seen in 2007 – which was during the George W. Bush administration!

Republicans also went back on their word to protect critical services that Minnesota farmers and communities rely on across the country like Rural Housing Loans, support for Rural Electric Cooperatives, and investments in food security like the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Sec. Vilsack, you rightly called the House Republican Ag Approps bill “pathetic, punitive, and petty.”

In fact, funding levels are so low, the Republican Majority could not get enough of their own votes to pass the bill on the House Floor in July, and instead sent Members home early for the August recess.

There are now only 12 days left for Congress to pass all the legislation required to keep the federal government open and working for Americans.

When I return to Washington in September, my top priority is avoiding a government shutdown, and doing everything I can to protect these vital investments in our communities.

It certainly doesn’t have to be this way.

Last Congress, working with Secretary Vilsack and the Biden Administration, Democrats leading the House delivered historic and necessary investment in Minnesota farm country and communities across our state, including: The Inflation Reduction Act, which invests nearly $10 billion dollars for rural electrical cooperatives, hundreds of millions of dollars to establish the country’s first bioindustrial manufacturing hub – right here in Minnesota, which will use homegrown feedstocks for sustainable manufacturing of the future.

And over the last two years, through Community Project Funding, I’ve secured $7 million dollars to improve the Agriculture Research Service’s outdated Cereal Disease Laboratory – located right next door at the University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (CFANS).

CFANS leads our nation on research and development  to help all farmers find more climate-resilient crops, fight persistent and emerging diseases, and ensure a safe and sustainable food supply.

These investments, along with the investments Secretary Vilsack announced today, are what Congress should be focused on, because they will help ensure Minnesota’s farmers have the tools they need to be leaders in our nation’s agricultural sector.

Working with Biden Administration, we are growing from fields of opportunity into the future.

Thanks for all your work to bring food security to Minnesota families, communities, and our nation.

I look forward to our discussion!