Introduction of the American Farms, Food Banks, and Families Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. NEWHOUSE. Madam Speaker, today, I am introducing the American Farms, Food Banks, and Families Act, which authorizes a new position within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) tasked with ensuring the nation's food supply chain remains a national priority.

This legislation authorizes the establishment of an ``Agriculture Supply Chain Administrator,'' either designated or appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture within the USDA. The Administrator is charged with developing efficiencies and addressing key challenges within the domestic agriculture food supply chain.

Key points to address by the Administrator include: identifying barriers, either regulatory or statutory, which prevent or inhibit domestic growers from offering their product to the domestic market through food distribution entities; promoting the domestic supply chain; and connecting growers with surplus products with appropriate food distribution organizations.

The Administrator is also tasked with convening a Federal Advisory Committee with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), other appropriate federal agencies, and industry stakeholders to collaborate and advise the Administrator on addressing inefficiencies.

Finally, the American Farms, Food Banks, and Families Act will establish--in coordination with AMS and industry stakeholders--a national database to record and report excess agricultural products and food distribution organizations in need of the available products

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