Martin Heinrich: “the substitute amendment contains the Appropriations Committee-reported versions of three bills: Military Construction…”

“the substitute amendment contains the Appropriations Committee-reported versions of three bills: Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; Agriculture; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. I rise today as the chair of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. I just want to urge all of our colleagues--all of them--to support the Agriculture bill that the Appropriations Committee reported out on a unanimous and bipartisan 28-to-0 vote. The fiscal year 2024 Agriculture appropriations bill provides nearly $26 billion to continue the important work of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and of the Food and Drug Administration. This includes support for American farmers and food producers, protections for our Nation's food supply, and investments in important conservation and clean water programs. As we drafted this bill, our subcommittee made difficult decisions on how best to invest taxpayer dollars in line with the agreement forged earlier this year by both President Biden and--I would point out--House leadership. I am proud of the incredibly collaborative approach taken by Ranking Member Hoeven to make this a truly bipartisan bill. Our subcommittee held substantive hearings. We considered nearly 3,000 requests from our Senate colleagues, and we worked in an incredibly bipartisan manner to address all of the ways that these Agencies serve our Nation and our constituents.…”