Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012

Floor Speech

The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2112) making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes:

* Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chair, in the Appropriations Committee, the majority accepted an amendment I offered to restore $1.3 million for the Rural Energy for America program. This amendment would place another $1 million back into the program and put the full House of Representatives on record in support of alternative energy in agriculture.

* While we continue to incentivize the agriculture of yesterday, we are blindly ignoring the cries of rural America as it attempts to transform itself to meet the growing energy needs of a new century. For the first time, the 2008 farm bill took a different tack. By investing over $1 billion in alternative energy, this House recognized that alternative energy is inextricably linked with the success of American agriculture.

* While two critical amendments were accepted during full committee consideration of the Agriculture Appropriations bill, limits on payments for rich farmers and cotton payouts for Brazil, the Rules Committee chose not to protect these provisions on the floor but instead to protect unprecedented cuts to the energy title of the farm bill that by the same logic should be subject to a point of order.

* Why has the House protected the Appropriations Committee's raid on the mandatory funds for the Rural Energy for America Program but derailed amendments accepted in the full committee? The answer is simple, defending a transformation in agriculture is less important than protecting the status quo.

* At a time when USDA has made important reforms to REAP and has finally begun to implement requirements of the 2008 farm bill, now is not the time to back down. 100 years from now, we will look back and realize that it was the energy title of the farm bill that inspired innovation in agricultural America, not subsidy programs that reward practices of yesterday. The Rural Energy for America Program recognizes the plea from American's rural small businesses and agricultural community and rewards innovation by investing in a future based on innovation.

* I commend Representatives Fortenberry and Walz for offering an amendment to restore funds for the REAP program and look forward to working with my colleagues as we continue to fight on for this program as the bill moves toward conference.

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