Sanford Bishop: “I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5305. As chairman of the Subcommittee on…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5305. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, I would like to highlight several items in our jurisdiction. The legislation includes $10 billion for agricultural disaster assistance programs to cover events in 2020 and 2021. Farmers, ranchers, and producers continue to face extreme climate events from extensive droughts out West and unprecedented heat in the Pacific Northwest to another year of massive wildfires in California and hurricanes that continue to batter the Gulf and Eastern seaboard States. Every region of our country is impacted. The bill also includes $275 million for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program to help communities address damages to infrastructure caused by natural disasters that impair the watersheds. Furthermore, it ensures that USDA can fully meet the demand for farm ownership loans, especially for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers. It allows USDA to continue to provide loans to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas, and it provides the authority and funding to allow the Food and Nutrition Service to increase the amounts of fruits and vegetables in the WIC food package. Mr. Speaker, I thank the committee staff of both the Appropriations and Agriculture Committees.…”