Chellie Pingree: “I thank Mr. Bishop of Georgia, our future chair, for yielding me the time. I rise in support of H.R. 265, the fiscal…”

“I thank Mr. Bishop of Georgia, our future chair, for yielding me the time. I rise in support of H.R. 265, the fiscal year 2019 Agriculture appropriations bill. There is no reason we cannot pass these individual appropriations bills that have nothing to do with border security and have strong bipartisan support. The fiscal year 2019 Agriculture appropriations bill includes robust funding for the USDA and the FDA, two Federal agencies that touch the lives of every American. President Trump's obsession with the wall should not jeopardize Americans' access to important food, housing, and farm programs at USDA and FDA. The shutdown is having real impacts back in my home State of Maine: for the farmer who would lose their family farm before refinancing of their FSA mortgage can be approved; for the single parent trying to make ends meet and not knowing whether their SNAP benefits will be there next month; and for the couple who won't be able to close on their dream home because they can't access a rural housing loan. These are just a few examples of how disruptive this shutdown has been in my district. Just last month we finalized the 2018 farm bill, finally giving farmers and families certainty about these important USDA programs. That certainty was ripped away from them because the USDA can't start implementing the new farm bill until the shutdown ends.…”