Congress Must Support American Farmers and Secure our Food Supply

Floor Speech

"As I outlined earlier this week, the Senate has a great deal of work to do to fulfill our most basic responsibilities:

Keeping America safe, keeping America fed, and keeping the lights on.

Our colleagues on the Appropriations Committee intend to fund the federal government through regular order.

The Armed Services Committee has an urgent responsibility to set the Senate's national security priorities so we can face growing threats and fund our armed forces accordingly.

And this year, the Agriculture Committee also has to pass a Farm Bill. This legislation is the cornerstone of the government's approach to helping growers feed America. It includes essential provisions that support farmers, create good-paying jobs, and strengthen rural communities.

In my home state of Kentucky, nearly 75,000 farms help keep dinner plates full and grocery stores stocked throughout the country. But thanks to endless red tape from unelected bureaucrats and partisan foot-dragging in Washington, it's more difficult than ever to be a farmer in Kentucky.

Washington Democrats' runaway inflation has bogged down small family farms. With production costs on the rise, the Department of Agriculture projects that net farm income will decline by nearly 20 percent in 2023.

Naturally, farm families are looking to Congress to deliver much-needed help and stability.

In Kentucky, farmers are stalling investments and taking on unforeseen risks as they wait for Washington to make up its mind.

Farmers in Kentucky and across the country deserve certainty from Congress so they can plan for the future.

With less than four months to go until many current Farm Bill provisions expire, time is running out.

That's why Congress needs to do its job and get this legislation across the finish line swiftly.

Last week, negotiations between a Democrat President and Republican Speaker allowed the Senate to take an important step toward fiscal sanity and avert economic catastrophe.

In the coming months, we'll need further collaboration to produce legislation that puts farmers first and secures our food supply.

Senate Republicans stand ready to do our part."

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