Ted Yoho: “I thank my colleague from Texas (Mr. Sessions). This bill has been a long time coming. With over 3 years of reviewing…”

“I thank my colleague from Texas (Mr. Sessions). This bill has been a long time coming. With over 3 years of reviewing every single USDA program, 11 audit hearings, and 2 markups, we've finally brought a farm bill to the house floor--and I need to remind everybody, with a lot of bipartisan support. This is hugely important for the stability and security of our Nation's food supply; and without that supply, a nation like ours cannot truly call itself secure. I've worked in agriculture all my life, since I was 16 years of age, and I've seen the regulations that stood in the way of farmers and ranchers, and I've seen the regulations that have made sure our food supply is the safest in the world. This legislation cuts through the red tape by eliminating and consolidating over 100 programs, while bolstering farm risk management programs so that our farmers can keep feeding America during the tough times. I see a lot of theatrics and drama when we hear people talk about 50 million starving people in this country. I disagree with that. I think there are 330 million starving people at least three times a day. We call it breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But as far as 300 million nutritionally deprived people, I would beg to differ. The SNAP program does not take one calorie off the plate of anyone who qualifies for the program. Let me repeat that. The SNAP program does not take one calory off the plate of those who qualify for the program.…”