I do not know of any piece of legislation or Federal program that has been more helpful and enriched the lives of so many as the Rural Development Act.

Enactment of a new Farm Bill was welcome news for producers, research institutions, and rural communities in my home state.

I look forward to working with Senator Merkley and other members of the subcommittee to identify those priorities and make the most effective and efficient decisions on behalf of American taxpayers.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing. It is timely and I am very interested to hear from our witnesses.

If there is a problem within the agency, we need to know that.

The consequence there is that fewer Americans in rural America will be served by broadband.

What I am looking for is that there is an assurance that at a higher level within the administration that the position that Rural Utility Services is in and will be in as a result of decisions at the FCC related to Universal Service Fund…

To my knowledge, the only time I've ever been rude, and this was unintentional, was to Joe Glauber.

I encourage FDA to consider deliberate and thoughtful implementation of this law.

I would tell you, Mr. Chrisman, in Kansas, the most common conversation I have with a Chamber of Commerce executive, an economic developer, a mayor, a city councilmember, when you are visiting a community and you want to talk about what is…

Thank you, Chairman Moran, Ranking Member Merkley, and members of this subcommittee for inviting me to testify today at your hearing on the Importance of Rural Development.

I was disappointed to see the inclusion of grocery stores, convenience stores, and other entities that do not sell restaurant style food as their primary business included in that regulation.

In part, we are here to try to eliminate where possible that unnecessary burden.

It appears to us that it is simply restating things that have already been put before the public and before this subcommittee previously.

It is nice to see the Senator from Vermont parochially protecting----

They have been an ally of the efforts to reduce religious persecution and promote religious freedom.

the Army knew the square footage of Fort Riley, knew he had all the facts and figures, but came to learn about the heart of Fort Riley.

I appreciate that you are halfway around the globe, but I do appreciate the Vatican's efforts, in China and elsewhere.