Political Quotes

“I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member and all of my colleagues who have worked so hard on this bill over the last several months. These appropriations bills are taking a long time to get through the process. A lot of times, we don't realize all the hard work. So I want to thank all of my colleagues for their work and all the staff that have had great input into it. I want to echo what a lot of my other colleagues have said about this bill. As chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I understand that, while the bill is not perfect--and, as has just been mentioned, no bill that we vote on is perfect--there are significant wins for agriculture, the food sector, and for rural America. I wish that we had been able to include relief for the cotton growers. Also, regulatory relief for harm reduction products related to tobacco. Members from rural districts with agriculture constituents like I have in Alabama can be very proud of the bill's accomplishments for rural America. It provides necessary relief for American farmers and ranchers who are experiencing a 50 percent reduction in income from 4 years ago. We have been able to provide targeted increases for a few high- priority programs. The bill directs funding for rural communities, bolsters U.S.…”