OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Effective Date

Floor Speech

Date: Feb. 26, 2021
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Government Operations Health and Health Care

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago, the majority frog-marched the Agriculture Committee through a Potemkin markup. It was a legislative charade designed to give this process a veneer of regular order.

The truth is that this bill was drafted behind closed doors by the Democratic leadership, without input from the many rural stakeholders who have been begging this Congress for help. The result is a bill that spends too much on flawed priorities and fails to meet the needs of rural communities.

Agriculture Committee Republicans offered amendments to provide much- needed funding for rural hospitals, schools, and businesses; telemedicine services; broadband connectivity; and critical disaster relief.

Surprising no one, these were defeated on a partisan basis. For the one that did pass in our committee, it was stripped from the bill before reaching the floor.

It is astonishing, Mr. Speaker. Despite the wish list of political giveaways and excessive spending in this bill, the majority somehow managed to forget rural America.

Mr. Speaker, I oppose this bill. I believe that we can do better than this. In fact, we must do better than this.

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