Providing for Further Consideration of H.R. Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I am here to speak against an amendment included in this rule, the Foxx-Davis amendment, in defense of the 2,300 factory workers and 900 family farmers who grow sugar beets in my community.

The sugar program in this country supports family farmers. The company that is formed is a co-op formed by local family-owned growers who come together, and all they ask for is a fair chance to compete, to grow their high quality product, and to not have to compete with state- subsidized foreign sugar that is dumped if we don't have a program that protects our local growers.

The question is really simple. It comes down to marginally increasing the profits of large corporations or supporting family farmers who support their families by growing high quality sugar beets and sugarcane in this country.

This is a program that does not cost the taxpayers a dime according to CBO.

It comes down to a simple question: Are we going to support our own growers, or are we going to support foreign-produced sugar and moderately, if at all, increase the profits of large companies?

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