Mike Conaway

It is absolutely essential for EPA to correct the oversights in the WPS rule and provide their state partners and the regulated community the time and educational resources necessary to 'educate before we regulate.'

The full implementation of this horrible Vermont law is nearly upon us. The consequences of that, you mentioned food prices, $1,000 per family per year is the consequence of Vermont, and it is just simply unacceptable.

To repeat what everyone knows, 60 to 70 percent of our hired workforce in American agriculture are workers who would have documentation problems.

We thank the Members of the Committee for leading support of H.R. 897, a bill that would assure farmers that when they lawfully apply pesticides, they are not subject to Clean Water Act permit.

I, along with many other Members of this Committee have often stated that agriculture is the backbone of rural America.

President Bush said that the nation that can feed itself is more secure than a nation that can't.

National security and agriculture are linked at the hip, at the shoulder, and elbow. You can't have one without the other.

Americans enjoy the most affordable, most abundant, and the safest food and fiber supply of any developed nation in the world.

State flexibility can be an important tool in helping a family move out of poverty, however, the American taxpayer needs confidence that government programs are being targeted to those most in need.

Bipartisan efforts must protect end-users from being roped into reporting, registration, or regulatory requirements that are inappropriate for the level of risk they can impose on financial markets.

The farmers and ranchers I am talking to are facing very difficult times, and those that aren't yet are very nervous about the direction things are headed.

It all boils down to whether you stand by farmers and ranchers when they are under economic assault by foreign governments.

Will the United States allow foreign governments to steal our cotton production, just as they stole textile mills, or will we stand up and say, 'No not this time.'

I believe there are at least five things in the Administration's power that would make a big difference for America's farmers and ranchers.

The Administration's budget, which proposes a 20 percent cut to crop insurance, as well as an attack upon crop insurance last fall during the negotiation of the bipartisan budget agreement, are not helpful.

American farmers and ranchers are falling on very hard times right now. Worse yet, I don't really see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Mr. Chairman, we need to focus on the challenges facing our rural communities.

This regulate first, ask questions later approach is starting to backfire on the EPA.

This rule is simply the result of EPA ignoring stakeholders, including states, other Federal agencies, and the American people, in order to egregiously and vastly expand its jurisdiction.

Many Members of this Committee believe that over the years, EPA has pursued an agenda seemingly absent any recognition of the consequences for rural America and production agriculture.

It concerns me to hear the farm communities express increasingly urgent concerns about the lack of seriousness with which the EPA takes and incorporates the USDA expertise, advice, and opinions, especially during formal inter-agency…

Rebranding government overreach as a part of a social media campaign does not change the content of the rule.

This rule is simply the result of the EPA ignoring stakeholders, including states and other Federal agencies, and the American people.

We need to finish our work authorizing agencies and programs before we spend more taxpayer dollars.

I am troubled by the accounting irregularities. Any mistake is cause for concern, but especially one that goes unnoticed for years.