Supporting Farm Bill Passage

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to implore my colleagues to immediately move a clean farm bill to the floor, including a disaster supplemental to support American farms, businesses, and rural communities.

Both the House and Senate have released a farm bill. It is long overdue for the Republican leadership to act. The farmers, producers, and growers we serve need certainty from their lawmakers.

Farms are businesses. They must know what to expect. We cannot run out their clock.

Farmers need a plan for the next season now, especially with all the enormous crop losses across the country. What equipment can they afford to buy? Will they get a deduction for it? What will be reference prices for their crops? What will be their insurance rates? Above all, what disaster assistance will exist to recover from both last season's and this season's crop losses?

Look at this chart. Imagine you are an Ohio farmer. Imagine you don't even know what disaster assistance will be available before the next growing season. How can you plan? Farmers need clarity now.

If we don't support our farmers, there will be no food on the table. Congress must pass a farm bill with disaster relief funding now. That will strengthen the farm safety net and the financial well-being of our farmers.

What America makes and grows makes and grows America.

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