Sanford Bishop

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the fiscal year 2020 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act. The legislation before the House today is vitally important to ensuring the Federal Government and the U.S. economy can work for the American people. This bill safeguards our financial system and provides a fair playing field for our taxpayers. It funds those agencies that cultivate a vibrant and competitive telecommunications system that support new businesses and that make sure our consumers are safe from dangerous and defective products. Perhaps more importantly, this bill helps protect the integrity of our elections. As has been illustrated over the last few years, it is imperative that we provide the States with the resources to ensure the sanctity of our democratic institution. This bill includes $600 million in grant funding for election security grants and, additionally, $16.2 million is included for the Election Assistance Commission operating expenses, an increase of $7 million above the 2019 enacted level. I am also pleased that this legislation includes a total of $2.6 billion for Taxpayer Services, which provides assistance to the elderly and low-income taxpayers to help navigate our complex Tax Code, as well as increases in funding to address the growing tax gap. Further, the legislation rejects the administration's elimination of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, a successful program that leverages public-private investment to revitalize and provide jobs to distressed rural and urban communities. This bill also further embodies our democratic mode of government by supporting home rule for the District of Columbia. Finally, I thank Chairman Quigley for rejecting the administration's misguided plan to merge the GSA and OPM. The GSA manages our Federal properties, while OPM acts as the chief human resources agency for our Federal workforce. The administration's unilateral proposal to merge these two agencies without any analysis of cost, rationale, or risk would disrupt both agencies without contributing to their mission. It would potentially politicize our Federal career employees and create confusion and bureaucracy for no discernable reason. To close, I would like to thank full Committee Chairwoman Lowey, Ranking Member Granger, Subcommittee Chairman Quigley, and Ranking Member Graves for their work on this bill. As a member of the House Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I can tell my colleagues with great confidence that USDA's proposal to move the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) outside the National Capital Region is a bad idea. We held a hearing on the issue last March, at which four former senior USDA officials with 70 years of combined experience at the two agencies, from both parties, expressed their deep opposition to this proposal. Numerous stakeholders have expressed strong opposition, including the National Farmers Union, the Association of American Veterinary Colleges and nearly 1700 other organizations, university officials, and individuals from 47 states. We have not received a single letter in support of this proposal. USDA violated the Appropriations Committee's statutorily-required 30- day waiting period for such proposals when it took action to implement the proposal six days after notifying the Committee. It failed utterly to comply with the requirements of the conferees in the 2019 omnibus appropriations report to submit all cost benefits for the move and a detailed analysis of any research benefits of a relocation when it submitted the 2020 budget. USDA has also refused numerous requests from members of the House and Senate that it provide the original cost-benefit analysis developed before the proposal was announced. It finally gave us a so-called ``cost-benefit analysis'' after the final site was selected. But an independent analysis of this supposed analysis found that ``USDA leadership failed to follow federal guidelines for the benefit cost analysis'' and that ``the move to Kansas City will cost taxpayers between $83 and $182 million dollars, rather than saving them $300 million dollars.'' Large numbers of ERS and NIFA employees have left as a result of this proposal. I fear that ultimately, these agencies will become mere shadows of their former selves, with the loss of hundreds of years of expertise. These agencies' mission is to achieve the best science through research that advances U.S. agriculture and our understanding of the agricultural economy. I believe that the Department's proposal puts that mission at great risk. I urge a yes vote on the Norton amendment.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, I urge that this amendment be rejected. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, I understand the gentleman's intention, but I could not disagree more. The agriculture bill funds a variety of national priorities from food safety, to agriculture research, to drug approval, to rural development, to nutrition programs for our children. Reducing spending by 14 percent would hurt our farmers, who are already suffering terribly from retaliatory tariffs, and it would hurt small communities who are still in need of adequate broadband. It would hurt those who are waiting for cures to rare cancers. It would jeopardize America's status as a leader of global agricultural science. It would slow our response to foodborne illness outbreaks. It would harm children and families who rely on these programs to put food on their tables. The bill already rejected the administration's draconian cuts to programs that assist our rural communities and vulnerable populations. Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, I rise in support of this amendment. The Distance Learning and Telemedicine program offers grants to rural areas to provide access to education, to training, and to healthcare. These resources are critical in providing funding to acquire audio, video, and other advanced technology equipment to extend educational and medical services, including those seeking opioid treatment. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Madam Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Fortenberry).

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, at this time, I ask my colleagues to join me in support of this amendment. Madam Chair, we have no more speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Trone).

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, pursuant to House Resolution 445, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The amendments included in the en bloc were made in order by the rule, and they have been agreed to by both sides. They improve the bill. I support the amendment, and I urge its adoption. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell).

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, the amendment would bring the total funding for the program to $75 million in our bill. This program provides grants to encourage and improve telemedicine and distance learning services in rural areas through telecommunications and other technologies, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I thank the gentleman for offering it. It enhances the bill. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, I rise in strong support of this amendment. There is wide support and recognition as to the need for investing in broadband infrastructure. As a necessity for modern life, we must continue our efforts to bridge the broadband divide to ensure that as many rural Americans as possible receive fast and reliable broadband service and the multitude of benefits that are associated with it. Madam Chair, the gentlewoman's amendment, if adopted, would bring broadband funding to the highest level since 2009, with the Recovery Act. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. It will certainly enhance this bill.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, I yield to my colleague from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, I rise as the designee of Chairwoman Lowey, and I move to strike the last word.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, I appreciate my colleague's longtime support for fair trade practices for our livestock and for our poultry farmers. I have worked on this issue over the years with the gentlewoman, and I, too, share her concerns regarding the GIPSA rules and the administration's past history in such rulemakings. I look forward to working with my colleague from Ohio as the administration takes steps toward complying with the farm bill requirements from 2008.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Madam Chair, I rise in support of this amendment. As I have said before, Congress' oversight role is one of the most important functions. That function extends to preserving the integrity of science. The academics, economists, and researchers at USDA produce top-notch scientific reports characterizing the state of the farm economy, the agricultural industry at large, and analyzing future impacts. It is clear that one of the most important stressors on agriculture today and in the coming years will be the effects of climate change. We cannot prevent the effects of climate change by simply removing any reference to it in the Department's scientific publications. We must allow the science community to do its work, free from political influence. Madam Chair, I have no objection to the proposed amendment, and I urge its adoption.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, as the designee of Chair Lowey, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Chair, I rise in strong opposition to the amendment.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from New York, our appropriations chairman, for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 3055. As the chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I am pleased to highlight the national priorities that are funded in this bill. First, I would like to thank our ranking member, Mr. Fortenberry. He shares a deep passion for rural and farm communities that he so eloquently communicates often through stories of his childhood and his family. It has been a true pleasure to get to know Mr. Fortenberry better during this process. We have had many frank discussions about the priorities in our bill, and he has made it very easy to continue the bipartisan spirit of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. I also want to thank the members of the subcommittee, both majority and minority, for a thoughtful and collaborative effort. None of this, of course, would be possible without the outstanding work of the subcommittee and full committee staffs, and our personal staffs, so I give accolades to all of them. Few people may recognize the far-reaching jurisdiction of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, from food safety and agriculture research to rural development and nutrition assistance. The programs in this division touch the lives of every citizen on a daily basis. We rejected the administration's draconian cuts to programs that assist our rural communities and our vulnerable populations. The FY 2020 allocation for the agriculture bill is 4 percent above the FY 2019 enacted level and more than $5.1 billion above the budget request, totaling $24.3 billion. There is over $38 billion in loans and grants for rural housing, community facilities, and water and wastewater infrastructure, including $680 million for broadband programs to continue bridging the digital divide between urban and rural America. Additionally, during a time of great uncertainty due to tariffs, low commodity prices, and natural disasters, this bill provides $1.8 billion for farm programs, including $30 million to assist the implementation of the 2018 farm bill. It also prohibits the closure of county-level Farm Service Agency offices to ensure that our farmers, ranchers, and producers receive high quality customer service. The bill includes $829 million for the Natural Resources Conservation Service to maintain its core conservation mission. There is almost $167 million for infrastructure, for watershed and flood prevention, and watershed rehabilitation projects. The bill provides $3.3 billion for agriculture research to ensure America retains its role as the leader of global agriculture science. In addition, to protect the integrity of two of USDA's premier research agencies, the bill prohibits the use of funds for any relocation costs associated with USDA's proposal to move the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture outside of the national capital region. We held a hearing at which four former senior officials from both parties with 70 years of combined experience at the two agencies expressed their deep opposition to this proposal. Countless other stakeholders wrote, called, and emailed their opposition, including the National Farmers Union, the Association of American Veterinary Colleges, the American Statistical Association, the National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research, 104 agriculture science and food- related organizations, 24 university departments of agriculture and/or economics, 37 deans and provosts of university ag departments, and more than 1,500 individual scientists from 47 States. The bill also rejects the proposed elimination of the Food for Peace and McGovern-Dole programs, and it provides increases for both of these programs. These programs send American commodities all over the world to address global hunger and are an essential tool for diplomacy. The bill fully funds the SNAP and the WIC programs to meet expected participation in FY 2020. The bill provides $10 million for school breakfast expansion grants--the first time this program has been funded since 2012--and it funds the Summer EBT program at $50 million--a $22 million increase. For the Food and Drug Administration, the bill provides $3.26 billion in discretionary funding, which is $185 million above FY 19. Increased funding is dedicated to fighting rare cancers, laying the foundation for more efficient generic drug reviews, improving our response to foodborne illness outbreaks, and the continued implementation of the Food Safety and Modernization Act.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. The bill funds the Commodity Futures Trading Commission at $315 million, a historic, necessary, and long overdue increase. I am pleased that this bill provides funding for several new programs that were authorized in the 2018 farm bill, such as the 1890s scholarship program, the Local Agriculture Market Program, and the Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach Program, to name a few. I am pleased to say the bill makes significant investments in both Tribal communities and the U.S. territories. In developing the bill, we tried to be responsive to as many Member requests as possible, and I am proud of the bipartisan bill we have produced. Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues in this House to support it. It is a good bill.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I rise as a cosponsor of this amendment, which would prohibit closure of the U.S. Forest Service Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers. Closing the Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers makes absolutely no sense. These 25 centers are among the highest-performing centers in the country. Despite claims to the contrary, they contribute directly to the missions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service by training thousands of students each year in conservation work and firefighting. At a time when the Forest Service has been struggling to hire dispatchers and firefighters to prepare for the upcoming fire season, it is irresponsible, to say the least, to close these centers and lay off 1,100 Job Corps employees. Mr. Chair, as the co-chair of the bipartisan Job Corps Congressional Caucus with Congressman Phil Roe, I applaud Representatives DeFazio and Newhouse for their outstanding efforts to stop the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Agriculture from going forward with this reckless and ill-advised decision. Mr. Chair, I urge support for this amendment.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, once again, I rise to support this bill. On October 10, 2018, my district took a direct hit from Hurricane Michael, one of the most powerful storms to make landfall in U.S. history. It slammed into the Florida Panhandle, drove through much of the Southeast leaving a path of destruction all the way up to Virginia. In Georgia, many producers suffered nearly 100 percent crop losses. Hurricane Michael killed more than 2 million chickens and devastated the Georgia cotton crop, which was nearing peak harvest, and was on track to be the best crop in years. This was the third straight year hurricane damage has caused significant losses to the pecan, peanut, cotton, vegetable, landscaping, and agritourism industries. The Carolinas also suffered billions in damages a month earlier, from Hurricane Florence. Californians had another devastating fire season, including both the largest and deadliest fires on record. In Hawaii, volcanic activity caused pineapple farmers nearly $30M in damages. Americans in the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa were also hit by violent cyclones. To meet these needs, this House passed and sent to the Senate an emergency supplemental appropriations bill on January 16, 2019 that allocated $14.17 billion in emergency spending to help families and communities recover from these hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters. For agriculture, it provided $3 billion for crop losses, $150 million for the Rural Community Facilities Program; $480 million for the Emergency Forest Restoration Program; $125 million for the Emergency Watershed Program. It provided $600 million in desperately needed funds to help with Puerto Rico's continued recovery from Hurricane Maria in 2017. Thanks to my fellow Georgian, Austin Scott, and the House leadership on a bi-partisan basis for quickly getting this bill passed. But as we passed it, the Trump Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a Statement of Administration Policy, saying ``The FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund (DRF)--a significant mechanism through which the Federal Government conducts response efforts for major disasters and emergencies--has sufficient balances to address all immediate threats to life and property resulting from these recent disasters.'' Meaning: no additional funds were required for disasters. I strongly disagree, farmers and communities in all the impacted States and territories disagree, and even the USDA disagrees. The emergency supplemental appropriations bill was stalled in the Senate for 4 long months with no action and no relief for Americans who are suffering. When it finally passed in the Senate on May 23, 2019, I returned to Washington during recess to ask for unanimous consent for the House to pass the updated disaster bill. Unfortunately, it was blocked. I cannot understand why anyone would play politics when communities coast to coast and the territories remain in catastrophic hard times. America's farmers are living through the worst economic crisis in almost 30 years, driven by low commodity prices, trade war pressures, and natural disasters. Those impacted have had their patience stretched thin, and cannot wait any longer for the disaster assistance they were promised. Right now due to disaster losses, they cannot pay federal operational loans from last year; nor can they get new loans to plant and operate this year. Planting season is now. We are already in the growing season, when conditions permit normal plant growth. If we miss this window, it will have long lasting effects on agricultural production including food, fiber, building materials, and fuel that will increase costs for American consumers all over this country. We have entered the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially began on June 1, 2019. Today I am once again supporting an emergency supplemental bill as more disasters have hit since the last bill passed, the latest being the terrible floods in the Midwest and the tornadoes that ripped through Georgia and Alabama. This expanded supplemental bill will provide for the needs of those who suffered in those disasters. I will add an additional $5 billion and brings the appropriations total to $19.1 billion, which would cover all disasters, and get the much needed funds to those who were so severely devastated by Hurricane Michael. It will help communities rebuild, assist farmers and rural communities, provide critical health care, nutritional assistance, and social services for disaster victims, and repair damaged federal facilities. I urge my House and Senate colleagues to support this bill to finally bring relief to our long-suffering communities.