Political Quotes

“America is facing a farm and food crisis. As we are here speaking today in the Nation's Capitol, there are farmers and ranchers who are struggling. They are struggling with so many burdens and so many natural disasters. They are struggling in an economy with inflation. Mr. Speaker, let me say that again: America is facing a farm and food crisis. Now, as the chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, I have had the honor to travel across this country to hear from the farmers, ranchers, producers, consumers, and everyone in between across our great agricultural value chain. My colleagues and I have taken what we heard on the road to craft a bipartisan and highly effective farm bill. No matter where we traveled, one thing was clear: America's farm economy is in crisis, and with no farms, there is no food. The last time we passed a farm bill was in 2018, and a lot in our world has changed since then. As I stand before you today, Mr. Speaker, farmers across the Nation are grappling with immense challenges. For the first time in years, we are witnessing a downturn spiral in net farm income with projections for 2024 showing a staggering $54 billion decline. That is the largest 2-year loss in net cash farm income in history, and that is across just eight of the commodities. If you add into that the specialty crops, it is a farm and food crisis. These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet.…”