Rep. Jackson Rejects Democrats’ War On Agriculture
I voted against H.R. 7606, which is House Democrats’ latest attack in their War on Agriculture. My position was formally entered into the Congressional Record ahead of the vote:
Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to a serious issue facing all of rural America: the Biden Administration and the radical Left’s War on Agriculture.
Today, the House will vote on H.R. 7606, which will exacerbate fractured supply chains, skyrocketing input costs, and historic levels of inflation, all of which are hammering American consumers. This bill is the latest attempt to scapegoat private industry rather than address the real needs and concerns of farmers, ranchers, and rural Americans.
We know the Biden Administration and my colleagues across the aisle see Americans in the oil and gas industry as the enemy, and I truly believe they now see farmers and ranchers as the enemy too. I want my constituents back home in Texas to know this is something I’m fighting against every day.
I represent the number 1 ag district in Texas, and the farmers and ranchers in my district are experiencing out of control input costs for fertilizer, fuel, and basic parts for equipment. I can assure you the legislation we’re voting on today will make matters worse.
A spending and regulatory agenda that compounds the situation and further limits the American ag industry’s ability to meet global food demands is not the answer.
Instead, I urge the Speaker to abandon this bill and bring H.R. 8069, the Reducing Farm Input Costs and Barriers to Domestic Production Act, to the House Floor. H.R. 8069 will actually support our farmers and ranchers by ensuring they have regulatory certainty so that they may grow abundant and affordable food and fiber.
Rather than generate additional layers of bureaucracy and regulatory compliance with H.R. 7607, Congress should take up H.R. 8069 immediately. I thank Ranking Member G.T. Thompson for his leadership on the right approach, H.R. 8069, and I urge my colleagues to vote NO on H.R. 7606.
Thank you and I yield back the balance of my time.