WASHINGTON, June
18, 2014 – Senate debate on the appropriations “minibus” bill – which includes
agriculture – continued today, as a number of lawmakers introduced bills both
directly and peripherally related to agriculture.
“Supporting this
bill is a no-brainer,” Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman
Mark Pryor, D-Ark., said in a prepared statement. “It sustains our agricultural
producers, communities and families, it strengthens our economy, and it secures
the future of our nation.”
“Agriculture is
something America does better than anyone else,” Pryor said, pointing out that
the sector contributes $17 billion to the economy of Arkansas alone.
Senate debate on
the $120 billion minibus bill, which includes funding for the departments of
Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation and Housing and Urban
Development, is expected to continue for about a week.
Amendments
related to agriculture and introduced on the floor today include:
- an amendment
from Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., that would reallocate $2 million in funding to USDA’s
Natural Resource Conservation Service for wetland determinations. According to
Thune’s office, there is a backlog of more than 3,000 undetermined wetlands in
South Dakota alone, meaning farmers cannot apply for water management practices
on their affected lands.
- another Thune
amendment that would expedite the process that makes emergency feed available
to farmers in times of drought.
- an amendment
from Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, that would require FDA and USDA to consistently
update Congress on their attempts to secure work visas for U.S. food safety
inspectors from the Chinese government and to investigate Chinese processing
facilities. The amendment, Brown says, is a response to the deaths of 1,000
dogs linked to tainted pet treats processed in China.
#30
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