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“USDA--HAPPY 150TH BIRTHDAY” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E803-E804 on May 15, 2012.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
USDA--HAPPY 150TH BIRTHDAY
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HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN
of massachusetts
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Agriculture Committee, I am pleased to recognize the 150th birthday of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The good work of USDA and the important programs administered by USDA reach all of us every day, often more than most of us realize. In coordination with our farmers and ranchers, USDA ensures that we have a safe and abundant food supply. USDA protects the quality of our meat and poultry; feeds children and low income Americans through the nutrition programs; and supports rural Americans with an array of basic programs, including broadband, housing and economic development.
As Co-Chair of the House Hunger Caucus, along with my good friend Representative Jo Ann Emerson, I am committed to ending hunger in the United States and around the world. I want to praise USDA's robust domestic programs to help feed the most vulnerable among us and improve nutrition. These safety net programs, including SNAP, the Child Nutrition Programs, and WIC are vitally important to helping those in need put food on the table during economic hard times and helping make sure no one especially seniors and children--goes to bed hungry in America. The Child Nutrition Programs including the National School Lunch Program are among the most important and successful anti-
hunger and nutrition programs in the country. Thanks to diligent oversight by USDA, and significant reforms in the program, SNAP is one of the most effective and efficient federal programs. It is a testament to USDA's longstanding commitment to the highest standards and oversight of its programs.
Globally, the impact of USDA is just as great. I have long promoted an integrated government-wide approach to addressing global hunger and food insecurity. Beginning with the Bush Administration and expanding under the leadership of President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack and USAID Administrator Raj Shah, I am proud to say that global food security programs are stronger than ever. In particular, I am proud to support USDA's signature role in global agricultural development, emergency food aid, and international school feeding programs.
Agriculture is not just a nostalgic reflection of the past, it is a critical part of contemporary American life and the U.S. economy. I would like to take this opportunity to salute the thousands of Massachusetts small farmers who contribute so much not only to the economy, but to the nutrition and health of the people of Massachusetts, New England and the nation. It has been such a privilege for me to visit their farms, dairies and gardens and witness first-hand the great work they are doing.
I am pleased to extend my heartiest birthday wishes to USDA on this landmark anniversary, and I wish them the very best success in supporting agricultural development here at home and around the world in the next 150 years.
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