Glenn Thompson

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, facts matter. There was no reduction in the amount of the monetary value of SNAP benefits. In fact, there is some really good enhancements to the SNAP program within this bill. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Van Orden), the vice chair of the Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Subcommittee,

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I am so proud of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act. It actually doesn't cut conservation. We add 24 percent to the baseline, a significant amount of money for conservation, more than we have ever had. Quite frankly, this bill protects health, food affordability, and our Nation's sovereignty. Unfortunately, Ms. Luna's amendment that was made reference to will do harm to all three of those. Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose), the vice chair of the Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development Subcommittee.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, just a reminder, farm bill 1.0, which was signed into law last July, is the single largest investment in our farm families in a generation. There were $66 billion in benefits in so many ways, and quite frankly, specialty crop growers love this farm bill we are working on right now. This farm bill does restore the farm-to-school and farm-to- food bank provisions. Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Messmer), a member of the Agriculture Committee.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann), who is the chairman of the Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Subcommittee.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I thank my good friend from Illinois for mentioning our former colleague whom we all miss dearly, David Scott. I am proud this bill actually memorializes him by naming the 1890 program permanently in his honor. I am sure glad that we did that in the bill markup in committee when he was there versus waiting to do it here on the House floor. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Nunn), who is a member of the Agriculture Committee.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman from Maryland. In the first part of her presentation, she clearly made the case of why we need the Farm, Food, and National Security Act when she very accurately talked about all the challenges and difficulties our farm families are facing. Just a reminder, SNAP benefits have not been cut. Mr. Chair, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cammack), a member of the Agriculture Committee.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. De La Cruz), vice chair of the Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chair, what can I say? I am not sure my good friend, the ranking member, would recognize a bipartisan bill because this one truly is. This was not written in Washington. This was written while traveling the country, Republicans and Democrats, 43 different States, 1 territory, over close to 160 different listening sessions. We did it in a tripartisan way, Republicans and Democrats. We invited Republicans and Democrats in those given States we were visiting who were not on the committee. Certainly, the tripartisanship was the farmers, the ranchers, the folks in rural America, the people from nutrition organizations, and the people involved in conservation and wildlife who all came out to help write this bill. The base bill, when it was in committee, had 40 provisions in there that were led by Democrats. I didn't put them in there to gain votes, obviously. They were there because they were good provisions. It contributed to a great product--140 provisions that were completely bipartisan, at least one Republican and one Democrat, probably more of both on those provisions. As you heard in the amendment process in committee, we had 100 amendments that were debated. Quite frankly, what was accepted was really 50/50. It was equal. There must be a definition of bipartisanship I am just not aware of. Mr. Chair, I hear a lot of discussions here about things that are not in the bill, but they are not in our jurisdiction, things like financial assistance. I helped lead the first financial assistance over a year ago for our farmers, and we need more, but it is not within the scope of the farm bill. I hear about E15. I don't think that is such a bad idea, year-round E15, but that is the Energy and Commerce committee. That is not the Agriculture Committee. I hear about trade. Trade is the Ways and Means Committee. I will say we did double foreign market development and market access program, which are tools to help our farmers get access to trade, but we don't have trade itself in our jurisdiction. There are no SNAP cuts. The amount of money that families get is the same as what they got under the Biden administration. Now, we increased accountability. If you are here illegally, you are not eligible because this is something that is really meant for citizens. We have done enhancements to the SNAP program. We are going after criminals within this farm bill, looking to increase the technology with the EBT cards to prevent misuse of it, enhancements, dairy incentives, adding protein incentives with SNAP. This is a great bill. This is a bill for today. This is a bill also for tomorrow, and I am proud of the bipartisan work that went into it. I am a little disgusted, actually, by the politics that have come into this by folks who are running for higher office or are looking to November. I don't look to November. I look every day to how we can help our farm families, ranch families, forestry families, and everyday Americans who pick up the tools of agriculture, be it a knife, fork, or spoon. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to bring this bill forward and encourage, in the end, a positive vote. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, pursuant to House Resolution 1224, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman), the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 strengthens SNAP by cracking down on criminals who swipe benefits from EBT cards; increasing access to SNAP nutrition center programs, specifically adding protein to those opportunities; and making SNAP online purchasing a permanent option nationwide, which is a tremendous service for perhaps older adults and people living with disabilities who are not able to get to the grocery store. Many of these vendors are not charging for the shipping. That is something they will do for free. So yes, I am rather proud of this. Would I sooner be doing this bill? I think my good friends on the Agriculture Committee have heard my golden rule. I would sooner not do anything after 11 o'clock or midnight, but that is the hand we were dealt here. Quite frankly, our farmers need it, and they need it now. This was the hand we were dealt for time, so this is when we are getting it done. Mr. Chairman, in closing, let me just say a few words, and then I will yield back for the gentlewoman to do the same. It is kind of interesting. I am hearing good things about bipartisanship in this en bloc. This en bloc is about half of the amendments that we have on the Farm, Food, and National Security Act. Just a few minutes ago, I heard there was completely no bipartisanship, and now I am hearing good things about bipartisanship. Again, there must be a different definition for ``bipartisanship'' than the one that I normally follow. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for offering the amendment. I have had the opportunity to travel to his area and to just see how critical this amendment is. Water is life giving. Water is about being able to, obviously, provide for food. This amendment will ensure that areas of the Columbia Basin Project will be included in the Western Waters Regional Conservation Area. Including this area within that designation would allow for more opportunities for conservation activities in this region. Mr. Chair, I support this amendment, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman from California, who offered this amendment. Improving conservation practice standards and further incorporating science, technology, and innovation throughout the programs has been a priority for me as this bill has been developed. This farm bill contains language requiring USDA to more frequently update the practice standards on a recurring basis, along with a robust public process to gather input requests and suggestions. While NRCS already does have an existing practice standard to cover the construction of a structure to facilitate the composting process, this amendment goes beyond that to create a new standard for the production and/or use of composts. While I don't view these particular activities to be specified in the programs or in need of a separate standard, I am going to support this amendment today. Mr. Chair, once again, I encourage the adoption of this amendment into the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition, even though I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate my good friend from California, Salud Carbajal, for bringing this amendment forward that aligns the underlying statute with current practice at the USDA. This is another great bipartisan improvement to this farm bill. The Dairy Business Innovation Initiative supports dairy businesses and development, production, marketing, and distribution of the products. The technical assistance and sub-awards provided under this program play an important role in supporting the profitability of our Nation's dairy producers. USDA currently supports four centers, as we have heard, located in California, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wisconsin. This amendment allows the statute of DBII to bring certainty to all four centers. I am in support of this amendment, and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to this amendment, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from Connecticut for representing the gentleman from Missouri on his amendment that he has offered. This amendment would require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a tree-planting grant program that results in a reduction of residential energy consumption. It is simple: More trees make for more livable and enjoyable communities. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from Missouri and the gentlewoman from Connecticut serving as his proxy for bringing this amendment this evening, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I thank my good friend from Arkansas for raising this issue. We can all agree that rotisserie chicken is a healthy and convenient option for families. SNAP was designed by Congress to purchase food at eligible retailers to be cooked and prepared at home, meaning hot prepared foods are not eligible for purchase at this point. I have concerns about the unintended consequences that may arise should Congress begin to chip away piecemeal like that the ban on hot food in SNAP without considering the broader ramifications, particularly for program integrity. A change of this kind, especially one that singles out a specific food item, presents a slippery slope and deserves careful consideration and debate about the purchase of SNAP.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for bringing forward this commonsense amendment. We are talking about archaic regulations. We are not talking about payments or anything like that. We are talking about peeling a banana, preparing an apple slice, or preparing a carrot. We want kids to eat healthy versus prepackaged, processed foods. This amendment would ensure that USDA, the food safety experts, and HHS, the childcare regulators, work together to ensure that childcare regulations governing the preparation and handling of low-risk fruits and vegetables do not present unnecessary red tape for providers. I appreciate the gentlewoman and encourage a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Arizona, a good friend, Congressman Gosar, for offering this amendment, and President Trump for a successful negotiation with Mexico regarding their water treaty obligations. It is important that producers are as well informed as possible of the many programs out there to help the losses due to a lack of water, and this amendment is a great way to do so. I support this amendment, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from Arizona for offering this amendment. This is an issue I heard about years ago when we started this process of preparing for this farm bill. Actually, it was the president of the Arizona Farm Bureau who brought it to my attention. These are Mexican wolves that are coming across the border and doing tremendous damage. Ensuring that our livestock producers are able to more accurately receive an indemnification of livestock depredations by Mexican wolves is yet another step to continue to provide producers with the most adequate coverage possible. Providing new evidence standards within the Livestock Indemnity Program will no doubt help more accurately determine depredations for unfortunate losses. Mr. Chair, I support this amendment, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.