Enewsletters

My amendment, identical to the Senate-passed bill, would have substituted their unrealistic, costly $52.5 billion bill with portions of the Senate’s bipartisan $18 billion agreement on wastewater infrastructure reauthorization.  The Senate bill garnered broad support, including from the Biden Administration, before being overwhelmingly approved in the Senate this past April.  By abandoning this bipartisan agreement on clean water infrastructure, I am concerned that House Democrats are squandering an opportunity to get a good bill out of a conference committee, approved by both chambers and to the President’s desk.  Click here to view my full remarks on the Committee’s partisan water infrastructure bill.

I also joined Agri-Pulse’s Washington Week in Review to discuss ways Congress can move forward on a bipartisan infrastructure proposal, important farm policy updates, and more.  Watch my interview here.

In May, CBP encountered more than 180,034 persons attempting entry along the southern border.  That is a 674% increase from May of 2020.  This is the third straight month of 170,000-plus apprehensions and represents a new 21-year high in border crossings. 

It’s shocking that President Biden and Vice President Harris – who was tasked with overseeing this crisis – continue to ignore the catastrophe.  The numbers don’t lie, and VP Harris should visit the border to see how smugglers are placing young children in significant danger, cartels and drug traffickers are exploiting the crisis, and law enforcement officers are increasingly overwhelmed.  My colleagues from the border counties tell me the number one need of local law enforcement and border patrol officials right now is body bags.  The border situation is a true humanitarian and national security catastrophe caused completely by bad policy. 

For today’s good news story, I would like to recognize Olivia Herring, a teacher for Bladen County Schools who was recently presented an Ag in the Classroom Going Local grant.  To quote the article, “Herring works with academically gifted students throughout the school district, putting her in the Bladen Lakes Primary, Bladenboro Middle, Bladenboro Primary, Tar Heel Middle and Plain View Primary schools.  The project will reach students in grades 4-8, and talent development students in kindergarten through third grade.” The grant helps teachers provide students with real-world education and experiences about farming and agriculture, which is the state’s top economic sector.  Congratulations, Olivia!