Jeff Fortenberry: “I thank Ranking Member Granger for the time but also for her important leadership on this important bill. I thank…”

“I thank Ranking Member Granger for the time but also for her important leadership on this important bill. I thank Chairwoman Lowey for her continuous work and leadership in seeking common ground on this continuing resolution. Mr. Speaker, as Ranking Member Granger noted, we find ourselves in a difficult position today, so we are deliberating a continuing resolution instead of passing full-year appropriations. It is important, though, that we follow our constitutional duty to maintain government operations. This bill will keep the government open. It will support essential public policies, and it will minimize the drama in the budgetary process. One of our constraints is that the Senate did just start marking up its bills, as has been noted, last week. Mr. Speaker, I will focus my comments on the agricultural portion of the bill. On a positive note, in that regard, the Senate Appropriations Committee's Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee passed its bill out of the full committee just this morning. Until the majority leader decides to bring the Agriculture appropriations bill to the floor, and it passes, we have no option other than to wait for the bill to move through the process. Until that time, Chairman Bishop and I will be ready to start conferencing the Agriculture appropriations bills with our Senate colleagues.…”