I just want to thank you, Mr. McGovern, for your long-held advocacy in this ever-critical space of food security.

Our farmers, ranchers, and producers face a number of threats to their livelihoods, from low commodity prices and tight margins to the externalities born of hard but necessary trade negotiations as well as the problem of natural disasters.

the enormity of her job, to represent that many constituents, only elevates my respect for her intensity to continue to be engaged here at the table.

This is a war on poverty, not a war on the impoverished.

We help feed America and feed the world and we are very proud of that.

Yes. The Chairman rightly points out that this is not yet a settled issue. It is still under debate.

The food security space is an absolutely critical part of America's public policy and one that is often overlooked.

The ag losses are going to mount. It is unclear as to what they were, as people just pull themselves together.

I think all of us remain concerned about youth access to flavored tobacco products, and particularly e-cigarettes, and it is not a partisan issue.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to go back to the discussion that Ms. DeLauro had raised regarding imported food.

Obviously it is a variable but, so, yes, help us understand is it robust enough? That is my concern.

I am very shortly--perhaps even today introducing a Northern Iraq Security Resolution, along with my good friend Anna Eshoo, a Democrat from California.

We have consistently engaged and answered questions as they have come before us.

Many of us receive complaints from the commercial banking sector that the Farm Credit System has an unfair advantage.

On the one hand, you are our police force out there, making sure that billions are spent legally and effectively.

While certainly the vast, vast majority of farmers and ranchers and participants in Nutrition Assistance Programs are honest people, someone out there will always try to game the system.

I thank you for your emphasis on the bipartisan dynamic of the committee, and look forward to hearing from our Members.

Agriculture is one of the areas that can, when there is the will, transcend any perceived divides.