Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act of 2022
Floor Speech
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Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, I think the American people need to understand two things. One, if you eat, you are involved in agriculture. And, two, food security is national security. So, we keep those things in mind as we have this conversation today. Everyone in this room is involved in agriculture.
Despite that, we have before us today a bill that makes it more difficult for our farmers and ranchers to carry out their primary mission, which is to feed, clothe, and shelter 98 percent of the population that is not engaged in agriculture. Two percent of Americans provide for 100 percent of Americans and the rest of the world. This bill doesn't truly address the challenges that they face every day.
Democrats would rather demonize producers in the private sector instead of taking responsibility for the inflation that is changing the lives of our constituents every day everywhere in the country. Every day, our world becomes more globalized and our economies become more interconnected. As a result, the need for food security grows.
One day, Russia is weaponizing food in Ukraine, and the next day, China is buying pieces of the American agriculture supply chain.
I have said it before and will say it again: Agriculture security is national security, and we can no longer afford to stand by while our adversaries exploit the supply chain and American food security flounders under continued inflation inflicted by this administration.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on H.R. 7606. For those of us who represent rural constituents, this should be the easiest ``no'' vote you ever make.
Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia.
Let me clarify something the ranking member said. Yes, I was able to bring in all four CEOs of our meatpacking companies, and we were very grateful that they accepted our invitation. But our ranking member made a mistake. It wasn't all four that said in answer to my question about whether or not they agreed or had any agreement on pricing in our meat industry. Three said no; one said, ``Not to my knowledge.''
Now, you must understand what we are dealing with here and why just that reply from them requires an investigation. That is what we are here for. That is why we did the hearing, to bring those parties in.
We must act, Mr. Speaker. As I said before, we cannot continue to lose 17,000 ranchers and farmers. Also, so many of them, thousands of them, have not made a profit in 5 years. We have a problem.
In a report, the GAO noted that the USDA's investigations were planned and conducted primarily by economists, without the formal involvement of attorneys from USDA's Office of General Counsel, or the OGC. As a result, a legal perspective that focused on assessing potential violations was generally absent when investigations were initiated and conducted. This is precisely why the special investigator bill is so important, because it alleviates an issue that has not had enough scrutiny and ensures that attorneys will be responsible for looking into possible violations.
The GAO also found that the USDA's Packers and Stockyards Act, PSA, investigations had not modernized to keep up with today's complex, competition-related concerns, with consolidation at the heart of this issue, nor had it implemented previous recommendations. It also recommended that GIPSA and USDA's Office of General Counsel work more closely together.
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