House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott today delivered the following statement at a full Committee hearing regarding concerns over foreign influence on American agriculture. Watch the full hearing here. [As prepared for delivery] The purpose of today’s hearing is to discuss the influence that China has on American agriculture. Unfortunately, some of the rhetoric surrounding this to... Read More »
House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott and Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson released the following joint statement after the bipartisan Agricultural Labor Working Group (ALWG) released its final report. The final report is the product of a months-long effort to identify workforce issues faced by the nation’s agricultural producers and offer specific policy recommendations to address fl... Read More »
House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott today delivered the following statement at a full Committee hearing with Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Rostin Behnam. Watch the full hearing here. [As prepared for delivery] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Welcome Chairman Behnam. While the Committee remains hard at work on crafting the next farm bill, I’m pleased we can show the worl... Read More »
Today, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott released the following statement in celebration of the establishment of the Office of Agriculture and Rural Affairs at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which expands engagement opportunities with agricultural and rural communities. “I applaud the Biden-Harris Administration’s decision to elevate the Agriculture Advisor position... Read More »
"I would like to extend my congratulations to Dr. Basil Ivanhoe Gooden on his Senate confirmation as Under Secretary of Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Revitalizing rural America is a key principle for House Agriculture Democrats as we continue working on the farm bill. From bringing billions of dollars in investments in renewable energy to rural communities to ensuring a ... Read More »
Today, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott released the following statement in response to the publication of the final report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Equity Commission, which lists 66 final recommendations for advancing equity across the department. “This report, and indeed the very existence of the USDA Equity Commission, is a historic step toward addressi... Read More »
House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott today delivered the following statement at a full Committee hearing with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Watch the full hearing here. [As prepared for delivery] Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing today. The last time Secretary Vilsack sat before this Committee as a witness in March of last year, I spoke of beginning t... Read More »
Today, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott released the following statement following an hours-long hearing featuring U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack as the star witness. Watch the hearing here. “Today’s hearing confirmed much of what we already know: Secretary Vilsack is faithfully executing his constitutional duty to America’s farmers and families, and House Republicans... Read More »
Today, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott and Committee Democrats published a memo laying out the principles the next farm bill should include to win the support of the House Democratic Caucus. The principles are distilled from farm bill priorities submitted by Democratic Members across the Caucus and represent the shared values of House Democrats, including protecting histori... Read More »
Today, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott and Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson released the following statement on the passing of Michael "Mike" Gill: “We are deeply saddened to hear about the tragic and untimely passing of Mike Gill, former chief of staff to CFTC Commissioner Chris Giancarlo. Mike was a dedicated public servant, loving father and husband, and friend to all he met.... Read More »
Today, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott released the following statement on the passing of Bill Northey: "American agriculture has suffered a tremendous loss with the passing of former USDA Under Secretary Bill Northey. Bill's service as an advocate stemmed from his leadership in commodity circles to his time as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture and then at USDA as the person res... Read More »
Today, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott released the following statement as the first session of the 118th Congress wraps up. “When Mike Johnson was elected speaker, he indicated he wanted to pass the farm bill in December and begin negotiating with the Senate ‘as soon as possible.’ Today, Republicans are going home for the holidays and leaving this critical agricultural leg... Read More »
House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott and Chairman GT Thompson released the below statement regarding a report published today by the second USMCA dispute panel on Canada's dairy tariff-rate quota (TRQ) allocation policies. “We are disappointed in today’s announcement and the decision of the dispute panel. It is critical the U.S. encourage and enforce USMCA, and this decision allo... Read More »
The four leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees released the following statement on a farm bill extension: “As negotiations on funding the government progress, we were able to come together to avoid a lapse in funding for critical agricultural programs and provide certainty to producers. This extension is in no way a substitute for passing a 5-year farm bill and we remain committe... Read More »
Ranking Member David Scott emphasized the importance of passing a five-year reauthorization of the farm bill while also stressing the need for farmers and ranchers not to be hung out to dry without an extension of current farm bill programs. House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott today called to extend the 2018 Farm Bill to offer certainty and support to farmers, ranchers, and fore... Read More »