Sanford Bishop: “I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. This year, House Democrats worked hard and passed government funding bills which…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. This year, House Democrats worked hard and passed government funding bills which support vital programs that create jobs, grow our economy, and ensure our national security. As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, I want to stress that the programs in our bill touch the lives of every single American every day. It would ensure that USDA can continue to feed America and the world, to help expand economic opportunity, to create jobs in rural areas, and to fully meet the demand for farm ownership loans. It would increase funding to address the opioid crisis and rare cancers and resume unannounced, in-person inspections in the two largest foreign drug manufacturing countries in the world, China and India. Simply put, it would provide resources to ensure that we have the most abundant, wholesome, and safest food and medicine in the world. It will help families that may struggle to put food on the table through programs like SNAP and WIC. Sadly, the bill cannot move forward because, in the past few months, House and Senate Republicans have refused to negotiate with Democrats on government funding. Today, we are passing this short-term bill just to keep the government open. In doing so, Democrats are making sure our government continues serving the American people.…”