House Members Bring Constituent Concerns to Agriculture Leaders

WASHINGTON, DC – When the House Agriculture Committee formed 200 years ago (May 3, 1820), there were 7 members tasked with overseeing the work of Congress in relation to farmers and ranchers. Since then, the committee has added 44 more members and today those 27 Democrats and 24 Republicans continue that work. Even with more members added over the years – including four more for the current 117th Congress – other members of the House still have concerns and interest in making sure their constituents back home are represented.

For that reason, Chairman David Scott (D-GA) and Ranking Member G.T. Thompson (R-PA) hosted a Member Day hearing on Tuesday to hear from any member of Congress who wanted to speak.

Some who spoke during the hearing addressed concerns with the current cattle situation where meatpackers are making record-high profits while cattle feeders and others in the industry are losing money on the same cattle. Other members addressed climate concerns with an aim at making sure those in agriculture are able to benefit from the conservation work they already employ in the operations. One member of Congress who represents a U.S. territory lamented the fact that her residents are not treated equally to those who are residents of the 50 states.

Jenniffer González-Colón from Puerto Rico explained that residents of U.S. territories – including Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands – are not able to utilize programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Progam (SNAP). Even though there are some programs available, she told the Ag Committee that they are not on par with the benefits that are available to the States in the Union.
(SOURCE: All Ag News)