On the recordMarch 23, 2020
as we continue to navigate this unprecedented position we find ourselves in because of this extremely contagious virus, I want to bring one issue to the attention of all of my colleagues. Anyone who has been on social media has seen the empty shelves in the grocery stores throughout the country. The last shortage we need right now is with our American farmers. We are going to be able to feed this country but only if we keep the farmers in business. With virtually every restaurant in this country now being on shutdown, we have never found ourselves here. They are not ordering the food they normally order because they are on shutdown. We are here, in the city of Washington, DC, and have every restaurant closed except for a few for takeout, which is one market our farmers have just lost with our being in the position that we are in. We don't need to be. We have to make sure our food production continues. As the former agriculture commissioner of the wonderful State of Mississippi, I can speak to this firsthand. When this market slows down, it doesn't move the needle a little bit; it moves the needle a lot. The emergency supplemental appropriations portion--division B of the phase 3 coronavirus legislation--provides that critical support for American farmers and ranchers who are truly being impacted by this virus. It is an important provision that the Democrats seem to oppose but that is just a no-brainer for me.…
