Debbie Stabenow

The Budget Office has indicated major savings because the economy is improving; more jobs are being created.

One out of four jobs are dependent in some way on the food and agriculture industry in Michigan

We need to make sure that Mexico is doing the right thing as well, on the trade front.

There is a lot more being done with corn byproducts, wheat byproducts and so on.

Well, we know in general that the average age of American farmers is 58 years old for the principal operator.

We were able to incorporate veteran farmer priorities with some loan programs and allow veterans and liaison position in the last farm bill.

The MPP did not hit the same level of success as the ARC or PLC programs.

We are working with the Secretary of Agriculture on expanding crop insurance for milk.

Senator Roberts really was the founder of the whole effort on crop insurance, and I was pleased to take that to the next step in the last farm bill for specialty crops.

Thank you for your advocacy on behalf of agriculture.

Fundamentally, the safety net in the 2014 Farm Bill under then-Chairwoman Stabenow worked well for farmers like myself and my neighbors.

In order to ensure Michigan continues to have a strong voice in the process, we will need to continue that tradition of working together to support our jobs, our farmers, and our families.

It helps our $720 million specialty crop industry access stronger risk management tools to protect their crops from future disasters.

The bill made responsible, bipartisan reforms to streamline more than 100 programs and save taxpayers billions more than we expected.

The farm bill plays an important role in doing that.

I have always said we do not have an economy unless we make things and grows things.

We need to recognize the fact that Senator Roberts is the only Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee who has also been Chair of the House Agriculture Committee.

We all know, in this room, that your infrastructure is aging and needs work.

Clearly coal, copper and those big, bulk commodities, railway lines and infrastructure and ports are absolutely required.

Eleven million people would become unemployed if that lock shut down, even for a few weeks, and the North American economy would enter a severe recession.

It is clear the President has focused on making things, which I appreciate in Michigan, but not growing things, which is equally important.

I have always said to have an economy and to have a middle class, you have to make things and grow things.

If you are confirmed will you commit to working with me and working with the industry and all of colleagues who care about this, to use administrative authority available to you to provide our Nation's dairy farmers with reliable risk…

I feel this morning, after listening to each of our witnesses, I want to say, Amen, to each of you and also indicate that it is not only National Water Day, it is National Ag Day. And we will not have agriculture, we will not have food…

I am very concerned about the cuts in President Trump's budget as it relates to those things.