Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013

Floor Speech

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Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I rise with great disappointment today. It's a shame that the House has allowed the farm bill to get to this point. We should be voting on the bipartisan bill the Agriculture Committee passed and I supported, not this bill. This bill has been hijacked by divisive politics and is simply not good enough.

It's not good enough for our farmers because reforms that would have protected Washington State's dairy farmers and consumers have been stripped out. It is certainly not good enough for the millions of working families, seniors, and children who count on nutrition programs and have been excluded from this bill. And it's not good enough for this country.

Our constituents sent us here to work across the aisle to deliver results. This bill is certainly not what they had in mind. While I appreciate the funding for specialty crops, which I fought hard for, and is in this bill, this is the wrong way to conduct agricultural policy for the future.

Our country's farmers and families deserve a farm bill that works for everyone. Instead, they've been given this. I am incredibly disappointed today, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``no.''

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