Getting Animal Health Research Right in Farm Bill

Floor Speech

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Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, in honor of the Nation's 249th birthday, House Republicans delivered the largest tax cut in our Nation's history for middle- and working-class families, strengthened the farm safety net, and voted to get our country back on track.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act gave a lifeline to the agricultural community by updating reference prices, expanding crop insurance, and saving millions of family farms from the death tax. The relief was long overdue. We are grateful, but the work doesn't stop there.

It is past time for Congress to pass a fiscally conservative 5-year farm bill, including support for agricultural research and development. We have seen the devastating impact disease outbreaks can have with the HPAI virus, and now we must continue to take steps to prevent the New World screwworm from reaching our borders.

The Big First District is home to crown jewels of the animal health corridor, where world-renowned research happens, positioning the United States to focus on disease prevention rather than outbreak control after the fact.

By investing in agricultural research, we strengthen our food supply chain and, in turn, our national security, all while providing the best and most effective return on taxpayer dollars.

We cannot afford to put our food security at risk by not prioritizing adequate investments in animal health research when we pass the next iteration of the farm bill. I urge this body to get this right.

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