National Family Meals Month

Floor Speech

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Mr. MARSHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about one of my favorite topics: supper.

Growing up a farm kid in rural Kansas, supper was always a great time, a special time. As a matter of fact, most everything I needed to ever learn, I learned at the supper table.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the celebration and importance of September as National Family Meals Month, a grassroots movement to raise awareness of the benefits of bringing families together around the supper table for frequent family meals.

Family meals are at a critical intersection in our Nation. The will to return to the table exists, but families need a friendly familiar voice to show them the way.

As a physician, a husband, a father, and now a grandfather, I can speak to the positive impact having one or more family meals around the table each week can create for families and communities.

I believe there are Main Street issues, economic issues, and then there are suppertime issues as well. It is the issues at the dinner table we need to be more focused on.

In my house, we traditionally have dinner each day at 6 p.m., no exceptions. My wife, Laina, has an open invitation policy at our dining table. Our family and friends, whoever is over at our house, knows they can always have a seat, and as my dad used to say: ``We will just throw another potato in the pot.'' But one rule, they can't be late. And number two, you have to leave your cellphone in your bedroom.

We take the time to sit down without the day's distractions and discuss the issues impacting our lives and how we can provide support to one another.

Frequent family meals create stronger family relationships and provide opportunities to connect with loved ones and talk about your day. Eating together feeds the emotional well-being of all family members.

With the growing influence of social media and so many distractions, the table is one of the safe places left where families consistently can have a conversation together.

It is our local grocery stores that are helping bring families back to the table. They work to provide busy customers like you and me easy mealtime solutions and to realize the health and social benefits they contain.

With our very trusted neighborhood grocery stores assisting us with our mealtime challenges, I know we can get back to the table.

Right now, let's each of us promise to have more family meals and to get together at least once a week, because at home, together, is how Kansans and Americans across this great Nation want, and need, to eat. Recognizing New Bilateral Trade Agreement

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Mr. MARSHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about the biggest news of the week, a new story I have yet to see the national media cover.

Yesterday, in New York City, the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Japan signed a bilateral trade agreement, a historic trade agreement. It is historic because the United States has never had a trade agreement with Japan.

I want to, first of all, thank Prime Minister Abe and all the Japanese for their business. Their business is so important to Kansas agriculture, to Kansas farmers, and to Kansas ranchers. I thank the Prime Minister and his staff for working so hard on this historic free and reciprocal trade agreement and for getting it done in record time. The speed that this agreement was done shows and proves the commitment of President Trump to our agricultural producers that the President values agriculture and knows that we feed not just our Nation but the entire world.

As many of you already know, Japan is the number one market for United States beef, pork, and wheat, all very important to Kansas farmers and ranchers.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. President for showing their leadership.

Now, once again, I ask the Speaker of the House to show leadership and bring the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement to this floor. That agreement is the most important issue that this Congress can be facing. I cannot control what the Chinese are going to do in trade negotiations, but we can control the USMCA trade agreement. That is what is important to Kansans. That is what Kansans want us working on.

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