Roy Blunt: “Thank you, Chairman Roberts. I was pleased the Rules Committee favorably approved H.R. 2420, the National Museum of the…”

“Thank you, Chairman Roberts. I was pleased the Rules Committee favorably approved H.R. 2420, the National Museum of the American Latino Act, earlier this month. There is no doubt the stories of the American Latino are important and must be told more fully than they have been in the past. I want to commend Senators Cornyn and Menendez on their diligent efforts to get here. I know it has been a long road. In order to keep this legislation moving forward, I agree with Chairman Roberts on the need to state for the record the importance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's historic main headquarters. While that building is listed in the bill as a potential location for the museum, the Senate recognizes the extreme imposition this would place on the Department and the people it serves. As a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee for Agriculture--and that subcommittee's former ranking member--I couldn't agree more with Chairman Roberts that the work of the USDA is crucially important to Missouri, to Kansas, to the Nation, and the international community as well. Clearly, that work would be disrupted if the USDA and its staff were forced to relocate. I join Chairman Roberts in encouraging the Smithsonian's board of regents to recognize the role and expanse of the USDA when selecting a location for the museum and to look for a more appropriate site for the museum. I now yield to the Senior Senator from Texas, an early champion of this legislation, for his remarks.”