Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013

Floor Speech

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Ms. BROWN of Florida. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This is a sad day in the House of Representatives. I want you to know that this is the people's House, and to separate the farm bill from the elderly, from the children is a shame.

Mitt Romney was right. You do not care about the 47 percent. Shame on you.

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Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this bill. By stripping out the nutrition portion of this legislation, the Republican Majority is showing their disdain for those people who are struggling to make ends meet, and trying to put good nutritious food on the table for their children.

This Republican Leadership is the most partisan in the history of the House. By taking bipartisan legislation like the Farm Bill, which helps all Americans, they have made it a divisive issue.

Mitt Romney was right--you don't care about the 47 percent of Americans who depend on the government for the basic necessities of life--food and shelter.

The FARRM Bill needs to have all the sections included to genuinely affect all aspects of food production. From those who eat to those who produce. The family farmer produces the food for our table. The recipient of government funding spends all of that funding on food. Nothing is saved for later.

Farm bills represent a delicate balance between America's farm, nutrition, conservation, and other priorities, and accordingly require strong bipartisan support. It is vital for a broad coalition of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to provide certainty for urban and rural America, the environment and our economy in general.

Splitting the nutrition title from the rest of the bill could result in neither farm nor nutrition programs passing.

I urge the leadership of the House of Representatives to move a unified farm bill forward.

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Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this bill. By stripping out the nutrition portion of this legislation, the Republican Majority is showing their disdain for those people who are struggling to make ends meet, and trying to put good nutritious food on the table for their children.

This Republican Leadership is the most partisan in the history of the House. By taking bipartisan legislation like the Farm Bill, which helps all Americans, they have made it a divisive issue.

Mitt Romney was right--you don't care about the 47 percent of Americans who depend on the government for the basic necessities of life--food and shelter.

The FARRM Bill needs to have all the sections included to genuinely affect all aspects of food production. From those who eat to those who produce. The family farmer produces the food for our table. The recipient of government funding spends all of that funding on food. Nothing is saved for later.

Farm bills represent a delicate balance between America's farm, nutrition, conservation, and other priorities, and accordingly require strong bipartisan support. It is vital for a broad coalition of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to provide certainty for urban and rural America, the environment and our economy in general.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP as it's called, protects over 46 million Americans who are at risk of going without sufficient food. Nearly half of those are children.

The nutrition title of the FARRM bill includes SNAP. It includes the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program to help people learn to eat healthier. Community Food Projects is a grant program for eligible nonprofit organizations, in order to improve community access to food. The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Commodity Supplemental Food Program, Child Nutrition Programs, Farm-to-School Programs, Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program are all programs that both help low income consumers and the farmers that produce what we put on our table.

Splitting the nutrition title from the rest of the bill could result in neither farm nor nutrition programs passing.

I urge the leadership of the House of Representatives to move a unified farm bill forward.

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