For more than 60 years the United States has been the leader in providing food for those in need around the world. Partnering with private organizations, millers and shippers, the United States has delivered more than $80 billion in international food aid since World War II.

I cannot support TPA until the full scope of the pending trade agreement is made clear. I still do not have adequate answers about the agreement’s potential gains or losses, especially those to agriculture and rural communities.

I rise in opposition to the bill. H.R. 2393 is a premature reaction to the WTO ruling against the U.S. Country of Origin Labeling, or COOL, law. Rather than taking the time to find a workable solution, the Committee passed a COOL repeal just two days after the WTO issued its ruling.

Rushing a COOL repeal bill through the House is not the way to address the potential retaliation stemming from the WTO ruling.

I oppose this legislation because it will roll back important financial regulations and interfere with the CFTC’s ability to do its work. I am very concerned that H.R. 2289 will open the door to the types of things that created the financial mess we’re just beginning to get ourselves out of.

As this process moves forward, I hope that we can come together and see a simple reauthorization, that will provide protections for customers and certainty for the CFTC, signed into law.

I think this is an important topic for the Committee to address because what is often lost during debates on our farm safety net is the fact that other countries also provide agriculture subsidies to producers. If we are going to compete in a global marketplace we need to be on a level playing field.

Without a strong biofuels industry, we will never be able to reach our full potential when it comes to producing the next generation of homegrown biofuels. The rural economy has remained strong in part due to the jobs provided by biofuels production. This announcement puts those jobs and rural economic growth in danger.

Farmers, ranchers, local communities and businesses all expressed concern with the negative impacts of this rule. Despite that, EPA either wasn’t willing to listen or simply just does not get it.

I think we should take a serious look at the mandatory labeling requirements that are in place in more than 60 other countries. EU labeling rules, for example, require indication of the country of birth, fattening and slaughter.