"And, you know, they are already faced with increased costs: fuel, for farmers input costs due to inflation in the economy right now."
"I really think that is something that we don't always do and really recognize them as a vital part of the country."
"This hearing is not about the unborn child."
"This body functioned for over 200 years without proxy voting, and I think we should go back to those traditions."
"I think even into the future, I think this institution will suffer from the lack of relationships with that freshman class."
"But I think Mr. Perlmutter touched on it, it is the voters that get to decide."
"I was very disappointed that Mr. Hoyer couldn't stay."
"I do believe that we should be ending it and go back to the tradition of the institution, which is no proxy voting."
"We need to get back to our business, get our business back to normal, and end the proxy voting."
"Weakening the program will put producers in my district and across the country at a competitive disadvantage around the world."
"One of my goals for today's hearing is to bring some of those strengths to light and dig deeper on how rural communities like the ones I and many others on this Committee represent."
"Ultimately, rural America knows best how to invest in their communities."