the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 220. the nays are 191. the previous question is ordered. the question is on adoption of the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a vote -- a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device.

members are advised that this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the peaker o tempore: on thnays are. e resolutionsdopted.

withoutbjection, the motion toeconsideisd on t table. rsuanto clause 8 of rule ,the fished biness is the questin agreeing to the eakes approval th jourl whi the chair w t novo. e estn is on ageing to thepe proval of e journa thosn favor y ay tho oppos, n opin of the chair, the ayes havit. the gentleman from texas. >> -- mr. brady: mr. speaker, i call for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on his vote the yeas are 227.

on this vote the yeas are 226. the nays are 169. voting present with four. the journal stands approved. the chair lays before the house n enrolled bill. the clerk: h.r. 3342, an act to impose sanctions with respect to foreign persons that are responsible for using civilians as human shields, and for other urposes.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered. or votes objected to under pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18 -- clause of rule 20. the house will resume proceedings on postponed questions at a later date. he house will be in order. members will please take their conversations off the floor. the house will be in order. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and concur in the senate amendment to the bill h.r. 2454, the

department of homeland security data framework act of 2017. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2454, an act to direct the secretary of homeland security to establish a data framework to provide access for personnel to law enforcement and other information of the department and for other purposes. enate amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the members will -- should take their conversations off the floor. pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. hurd, and the gentlewoman from new york, miss rice, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. hurd: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and their remarks include any extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hurd: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman is recognized. mr. hurd: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 2454, the department of homeland security data framework act. this legislation provides the first ever authorization for the d.h.s. data framework. under this initiative, the department is bringing together vital d.h.s. databases, including travel and cargo information, investigative data, and critical infrastructure data, among other things. mr. speaker, americans will not only be surprised but appalled to learn about the number of information sharing stovepipes that still exist within the department of homeland security. this bill will bring together the data sets in each of the classified and unclassified spaces to ensure that the men and women working at the department have the information they need to keep our nation safe. this bill also mandates privacy

and security safeguards, training for departmental personnel, and requires the secretary to ensure information and framework is both protected and auditable. the house has overwhelmingly supported this measure twice before as part of the d.h.s. authorization act, july 2017. and again as a stand alone measure on september 12, 2017. the senate made some minor changes to the bill and passed it. th today's voice vote -- today he vote we'll send this bill to the president's desk for his signature. i urge my colleagues to again support this measure and thank you, mr. speaker. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? miss rice: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 2454, the department of homeland security data framework act of 2017. and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. miss rice: thank you, mr.

speaker. the department of homeland security data framework october directs the secretary of homeland security to develop a data framework consolidating existing databases and systems at the department. h.r. 2454 requires the secretary to ensure that this data framework is accessible to d.h.s. employees with proper clearances and that they are trained to safeguard such information when appropriate. the framework will help cut down on the processing time of data searches and allow an analyst of d.h.s. agencies to more efficiently access information across the department. i thank my colleague, congressman will hurd, for introducing this legislation. and the senate. i look forward to the president signing it into law this year. with that i urge my colleagues -- house colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. hurd: mr. speaker, i have no other speakers.

if my friend, the gentlelady from new york, has no other speakers, i'm prepared to close once she does. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. miss rice: mr. speaker, i am prepared to close. mr. speaker, this bill is an important piece of legislation that has strong support on both sides of the aisle. it will improve d.h.s.'s operations by moving it towards a consolidated data system, enhancing the ability of men and women serving at d.h.s. to access in a timely manner the data that they need to fulfill their critical mission. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 2454. i thank my good friend will hurd again. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. hurd: thank you again, mr. speaker. i want to urge my colleagues to support this piece of legislation once again. again we're authorizing the department of homeland security data framework. it holds d.h.s. accountable with aggressive timelines,

includes prorobust requirements for privacy and data standards and safeguards, as well as ensuring important congressional notifications continuum. i'd like to thank chairman mccaul and ranking member thompson for their support in moving this measure through the house. as well as all of our colleagues on the senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee for moving this bill through the senate. again i urge support for this bill. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the question is will the house suspend the rules and concur in the senate amendment to h.r. 2454. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the senate amendment is agreed to -- the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. hurd: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is t present -- i object on the grounds a quorum not present and make a point of order a quorum is not present. the secretary: further proceedings on this motion will e postponed.

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, move that the house suspend the rules and pass s. 273, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 2736, an act to develop a long-term strategy vision and comprehensive multifaceted and principled united states policy for the

indo pacific region, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and their remarks include extraneous material on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. the indo asia pacific region of is of -- region is critical importance to the united states. our closest people to people links, and our strongest commercial and economic ties. the administration has recognized this priority in both the national security strategy document and the subs free and open indo pacific

strategy. the united states must adapt to new and emerging geostrategy realities and recognize the competitive nature of our relationship with china. the asia reassurance initiative aria s. a key component of this effort. it provides the administration with the direction and resource it is needs for meaningful implementation of this free and open indo pacific asia strategy . it cements u.s. leadership in the region by reassuring our allies and deterring our adversaries. it strengthens our security commitments with our allies and builds the capacity of our many partners in the region to combat terrorism and to stop aggressive actors. the bill reaffirms long-standing treaty alliances in asia with australia, south korea, and japan.

and calls for building new regional security partnerships. it also expresses unequivocal support for taiwan by authorizing new arm sales, supporting enhanced high level contacts with taipei, and countering any efforts to forcibly change the status quo in the taiwan straits. on security, aria commits the u.s. government to the full implementation of angsts on north korea and its enablers. it enshrines a policy of regularly enforcing u.s. freedom of navigation and overflight rights in the east and south china seas where we're seeing increasingly aggressive activities by chinese ships and aircraft. mr. speaker, this bill also supports robust u.s. commercial presence in the region. it promotes u.s. exports and

trade facilitation efforts while also authorizing penalties against those who steal united states' intellectual property. this is essential for the growth of the u.s. economy and the success of american businesses operating in the region. . unfortunately, there are also many challenges to human rights, nonproliferation, and democratic values in the indo-pacific. for that reason this bill bolsters the critical work of the state department and usaid to promote democracy, strong civil society, and the rule of law. mr. speaker, i am so pleased that we're taking up this bill which earned unanimous bipartisan support in the senate. the asia reassurance initiative act demonstrates the strong continuing commitment of the united states to asia. it reaffirms american values,

strengthens american commitments to our many partners and allies in the region and makes clear our enduring pursuit of peace and mutual prosperity. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: mr. speaker, i rise in support of this measure, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: the asia reassurance initiative is an extremely important and timely piece of legislation. i'm glad that we will be able to bring it forward today in a bipartisan manner, and that's no small feat. this legislation is so comprehensive and far reaching it was referred to six different committees. i cannot overstate the strategic importance of this bill before us today. in washington, we know all too -- this legislation

focuses on the bigger strategic picture. over the next 100 years, the most significant issue facing american foreign policy will be the rise of the indo-pacific. the region will be the most significant driver of economic and demographic growth, its environmental policies will have imyou men's impact on the global health -- immense impact on the global health and climate change for the future of american leadership and the world. the asia reassurance initiative act directs congress' attention to its vital foreign policy. the bill states the united states will develop and commit to a long-term comprehensive strategic policy for the indo-pacific region that secures our and our allies' interest, advances american

interest, including through the promotion of human rights, supports the rule of law and international norms. this bill also authorizes $1.5 billion in funds to state and usaid so we can start to put our money where our mouth is on this indo-pacific policy. passing this legislation is itical, especially at this time as china's time as china's assertive behavior in the asia region threatens the rige national -- regional balance of power. as this administration takes unorthodox positions, uses to carry the -- -- as much of the world views the united states and retreat from the international stage. this bill sends a clear and resounding message to the region, america's commitment remains steadfast. i strongly support this measure and i urge all members to do the same. and i reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: we reserve our time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. -- engel: the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: it's now my pleasure to yield four minutes to the gentleman from texas, a member of the ways and means trade subcommittee, mr. doggett. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. doggett: thank you so much. as we approve this asia reassurance initiative act, it's also very important that we provide reassurance to americans that our values are not being abandoned. with one deranged tweet after another, many people, both here and in asia, view the united states as having lost its way. as approved by the senate, this particular resolution responds very appropriately to the vacillation and confusion of the trump administration's foreign policy, including its

trade agenda. in today's important house amendment to section 302 of the bill, we commit, not only to support continued engagement and friendship in the asia pacific region, but to advance through our trade negotiations the values for which america has long been recognized as a beacon of hope to the world. that is a beacon that should leave no corner of this globe, including asia, in the dark, and it must include human rights as a universal concept for all the people of the world. our economic relations must be rooted in our shared values, our respect for human rights, d adherence to the rule of law. it takes more than simply an

opportunity to have more exports, to justify a new agreement with a trading partner. a previous administration looked the other way on malaysian human trafficking in pursuit of more commerce, and it found itself in this house short of votes. we must not make that mistake you again. with this new improved section 302, congress rejects support for just any trade agreement and indicates its support for those agreements with partners that actually respect, promote, and adhere to the rule of law. by its very terms, when section 302, as amended, is tied with title you 4, as it came over from the senate, -- title 4, as it came over from the senate, we would not be justified in new trade agreements with burma after its murderous ethnic cleansing of its rohingya population. nor does it offer any support to the trump administration's july 26 declaration of intent o reward the tyrant of the philippines. every democratic member of the

house ways and means trade subcommittee, on which i serve, has advised this administration that, quote, we strongly oppose president dwareta's philippines as a trade -- duerte philippines as a trade agreement partner. he has been linked to a surge of extra judicial killings of police and gunmen. his shocking human rights abuses is not all. child labor is persistent and serious. safety is not prioritized, as indicated by the 72 workers that were killed in a garment factory fire. these anti-worker policies mean that the philippines is a low-wage country that markets itself to american companies looking to further outsource american jobs. et, the president of the philippines' -- we all said on the trade subcommittee, quote,

we strongly oppose the president of the philippines as a trade partner. the trump's hug a thug approach around the world has repeatedly preferred foreign tyrants over dependable allies. i believe that human rights is not a luxury. it's central to american values. of central to the security every american family. amending this bill today helps us to achieve that objective and send a strong message to the administration about the trade policies that we will consider in the coming year. i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: we continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: well, i will close because we don't have speakers. i, again, express my same strong support for the bill before us today. the asia reassurance initiative

act is an important piece of egislation and it arctic lates a policy toward the indo-pacific. highlights the importance of coordinating our development, diplomacy, and security interests to create effective foreign policy. and it sends a message to asia and the world that the united states is investing in our allies and our strategic priorities. i hope all members will join me in supporting this bill. before i yield the balance of my time, i know i said this the other day, but it looks like it's coming true now. this may be the last time those of us in the foreign affairs committee get to speak on the house floor for this congress. and since my good friend and partner, ileana ros-lehtinen, the gentlewoman from florida, is here, i just want to say for everyone to know what a pleasure it's been to be by her side for all these years and work closely with her on so

many pieces of legislation, important pieces of legislation that i lost count years ago. but one of the things with ileana ros-lehtinen, you can always count on her to work hard, to do the right thing, to be on the right side, and it's really just a pleasure to be here colleague and an even bigger pleasure to be her friend. i hope you come back and visit us. if not i'm going to florida to visit you. and i'll always cherish your wonderful tenure in the house of representatives. particularly on the foreign affairs committee. thank you, ileana. so i want to yield back the balance of my time and say that we on the foreign affairs committee, under the leadership of chairman royce, who also has been bipartisan, as you can get, i'm really proud of the work that we've done in the foreign affairs committee this

year, this congress, and i look forward to doing even more work in the next congress. so thank you. thanks to chairman royce. thanks to congresswoman ros-lehtinen, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentlelady from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. mr. speaker, thank you, sir. the united states must continue to reassure the nations of the asia pacific region of the enduring commitment of the united states to being a peaceful presence in the region, dedicated to universal values and mutual prosperity. senate bill 2736 provides the united states with a long-term and whole of government strategy for the indo-pacific egion region that advances american national security interests, prosperity, and promotes the values of freedom and human rights. i urge my colleagues to join me in support of this measure. i thank the distinguished

gentleman from new york, the ranking member of the foreign affairs committee, soon to be the chairman of our committee, for his friendship, for his kind words. i look forward to treating him a nice keaf con leche -- cafe con leche. rather than me going to new york, mr. engel. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 2036 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on foreign affairs be discharged from further consideration of house resolution 274 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the

clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 274, resolution condemning the government of iran's state sponsor persecution of its minority and its continued violation of the international could have nens of human rights -- covenants of human rights. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to consideration of the resolution? ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i have an amendment to the text at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by ms. ros-lehtinen of florida. strike all after the resolving clause and insert the following -- that the house of representatives -- the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the amendment is agreed to -- without objection, the reading is suspended. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker,

i have an amendment to the preamble at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by ms. ros-lehtinen of florida. strike the preamble and insert the following -- whereas the 1982, 1984, 1988 -- the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the reading s suspended. the reading is dispensed with. without objection, the amendment to the preamble is agreed to, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on foreign affairs, the judiciary and ways and means be discharged from further consideration of h.r.

6219 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. report : h.r. 6219, a to support the integrity of georgia and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to the consideration of the bill? without objection, the bill is engrossed, read a third time and passed and the motion to econsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to place into the record an exchange of letters with the committees of jurisdictions on h.r. 6219. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the -- without objection. . for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and tend their remarks on h.r. 6219. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition?

ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on foreign affairs be discharged from further consideration of house resolution 1169, and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house house resolution 1169. resolution reaffirming the commitment of the united states to promote free, fair, transparent, and credible elections in bangladesh. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to consideration of the resolution? without objection, the resolution is agreed to anti-the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. -- and the motion is laid upon the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. conaway: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks

and include extraneous material. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. conaway: pursuant to house resolution 1176, i call up the conference report on bill h.r. 2 to provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs in the department of agriculture through fiscal year 2023, and for other purposes. and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2, an act to provide for the reform and continuation of agriculture and other programs of the department of agriculture through fiscal year 2023, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 1176, the conference report is considered as read. the gentleman from texas, mr. conaway, the gentleman from minnesota, mr. peterson, will each control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. conaway: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conaway: mr. speaker, i rise today in strong support of the conference report to h.r. 2, the agriculture improvement act of 2018. it is fitting that the house today consider the farm bill

because 28 years ago another proud texan, president george h.w. bush, signed into law the 1990 farm bill. for the first time since 1990, congress is poised to pass a new farm bill in the same year that the legislation was first introduced. in many ways the 1990 farm bill laid the groundwork for today's u.s. farm policy. u.s. farm policy in longer the old command control policies of the new deal but a market oriented, risk management approach that helps america's farmers and ranchers survive natural disasters and the predatory trade practices of foreign countries like china. our nation's farmers and ranchers are the very best in the world. but they cannot compete alone against a sea of rising -- high and rising foreign subsidy, tariffs, and nontariff trade barriers. nor can they survive alone in the face of record droughts, hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters. that's why we have a farm bill. mr. speaker, not since the early 2 thouths have a farm

bill been more desperately needed than today. our farmers and ranchers are going through a difficult recession right now. net farm income is down 50% from where it stood 50eu6 years ago. -- five years ago. and wruptcies are up by more than 30%. we have seen the devastation of wildfires and hurricanes, less noticed but no less destructive is a severe drought that's gripped many parts of the country. even less noticed is a rampant cheating going on in the global trade that hurts our farmers and ranchers every single day. china recently oversubs diesed just three crops by more than $100 billion in a single year. china spent more on excess illegal subsidies in a year than the entire u.s. safety net covering all commodities will cost in roughly two farm bills. that's why passage of this farm bill is so important. the farm bill is never easy to pass. the needs of our farmers and

ranchers are greater than they have ever been in a long time, but we have operated under a flat budget. for my colleagues concerned about the deficit spending, please note this farm bill is budget neutral. this follows on the heels of a 2014 farm bill that has come in significantly under budget also. mr. speaker, here are some specifics of the 2018 farm bill. first, the farm bill honors the request of nearly every farmer and rancher that we do no harm to the federal crop insurance. second, we strengthen the farm bill safety net for all farmers and ranchers. believe it or not there are actually pressure from some in the other chamber to cut the farm safety net at a time when the whole point of a farm bill is to help our farmers eanchranch families. third, we strengthened key conservation initiatives, especially the environmental quality incentive program. these highly successful conservation initiatives serve as a prime example how voluntary incentive-based conservation beats burdensome arbitrary and costly washington

regulations every single time. fourth, we honor the request of farmers and ranchers to fully fund our trade promotion initiatives which cannot be more important than they are right now. this includes fully funding the market access program and the foreign market development program. we also succeed in maintaining the vital link between america's farmers and ranchers and u.s. food aid by preserving the in kind food assistance to our neighbors in need around the world. fifth, we make extremely important investments elsewhere in this farm bill. we increase individual farm service agency loan limits which have not been updated in 16 years. we increase agriculture research funding at a time when we're dangerously lagging behind china. we also provide secretary perdue with the tools he requested to effectively combat the opioid epidemic and also expand high quality broadband service in all of rural america. we encrease investment in new crops and new crop uses and specialty crops, including fruits and vegetables. and increased investment in the nation's livestock sector by

strengthening our nation's management efforts. finally, there's been philosophical differences in this conference committee. achieving commonsense snap reforms, preventing wildfires, and providing regulatory relief are three examples. despite this, we make commonsense reforms and improve the program integrity and work requirements under snap, including involving governors in the work requirement waivers so there is political accountability and reducing state allowances for able-bodied adults. we require states to adopt case management practices to help move p snap beneficiaries from welfare to work and eliminate $480 million in bonuses we paid to states for doing their job. these and other reforms will build on the success we had in moving more than nine million people off snap roles and into the work force over the past five years. the farm bill will also reduce forest fuel loads to reduce the incidents and intensity of wildfires. this is achieved by expanding the and disease exclusion to

remove hazardous fuel loads and empowering state, local, and tribal authorities to remove timber. nobody deserves more credit to working to improve the management than my friend from arkansas who i am proud to have as a signatureor on this conference report. these reforms are important and they are a start in what needs to be done. we had to make a decision in making as in inrouds as we could or allow america's farmers and ranchers to be held hostage. faced with that choice i chose the route of getting this farm bill done. we made important in roads wherever we could on the reforms. we worked to improve -- we worked to provide the strongest safety net possible for our nation's farmers and ranchers. in closing, i'd like to thank ranking member peterson and counterparts in the other chamber for bringing this conference report to final consideration. i extend my sincere gratitude to president trump and secretary perdue for their unwavering support of our farmers and ranchers. and appreciate the support of the work, especially my fellow

conferees, to stand by rural america and those families who feed and clothe us. for the sake of rural america and our struggling farmers and ranchers, i urge my colleagues to support this farm bill so the president can sign this measure into law. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. peterson: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. peterson: i rise in support of the conference report of h.r. 2. the conference report we're considering today would re-authorize farm bill programs for five years. 2014 farm bill expired on september 30, and while the road to get here has had a few bumps, i'm glad we're finally able to reach an agreement. now it's a time to get this done. during a time when rural america is facing a down turn in the farm economy and trade r, that's taking a toll on dairy producers and crop

livestock, this will provide needed certainty to farmers and ranchers. the bill continue as variety of commodity conservation, trade, nutrition, credit, rural development, research, energy, and specialty crop programs. it also provides a permanent mandatory funding for several of the programs that first got mandatory funding in the 2008 farm bill when i was last chairman. these include the local food and farmers market promotion program, the value added roducer grant program. bfrdp program, organic research and section 2501 outreach programs. one of the most important pieces in this bill, however, is the improvements that it makes for our dairy farmers. the economic downturn in farm country has hit dairy industry probably hardest of all. in my home state of minnesota and neighboring wisconsin, an average of two dairies are going out of business every day. the provisions in this bill will provide expanded, affordable coverage options and

more flexibility for dairy farmers, and i am proud to put my name on this program. we're also providing 300 million in mandatory funding for animal disease programs at a time when our u.s. livestock industry is facing continued danger from unchecked threats from different areas. that money will go to increasing our ability to prevent and respond to animal pests and disease that is harm our animals and threaten the viability of our livestock operations. there are folks who have liked to have seen -- who have -- would have liked to have seen different directions, taking on several issues in this bill, but this is a conference report. with the house and senate. figure out where the common ground is. i'm proud of the work that we did together on this bill and i am very appreciative of the hard work of the majority and its staff, as well as my staff, under the direction of ann simmons and troy phillips.

my staff put their whole selves into this bill and i want to thank and commend them, lisa, heath, prescott, katie, patrick, and a special thanks to my former staffers who worked on the bill, maria, liz, and evan. and to clark who missed the farm bill so much he came back to the committee to help us finish it. thank you also to patty and the leader's office, tom in the whip's office for their help. and all the folks at usd and c.b.o. for their hard work in getting you us to this points. also the house and senate legislative counsels who helped us put this bill together. so i think we have a good bill, good compromise. i would encourage my colleagues to support this effort. and i look forward to continuing the discussion on many of these issues into the next congress. with that i yield the balance -- i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized.

conaway: i'd like conaway: i'd recognize the former chairman of the committee, frank lucas, and current chairman of the subcommittee on conservation and forestry for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. lucas: thank you, mr. speaker. like to take for a e for a moment -- first i'd like to take just a moment to thank our ranking member and chairman. when you consider what it takes to pass a farm bill, when you consider how difficult the challenges are, think of the last three in total. chairman peterson had to overcome two presidential vetoes to get the bill on the books. and i supported him. in the 2014 farm bill it took me and my friends here 2 and a half years to get a farm bill on the books. and now chairman conaway, you shouldn't have had to go through some of the challenges that colin and i went through but you did it and did it for the best interest of america. that's what the farm bill's all about. set the nuances of the various policies aside. to make sure we had the safety

net to enable us in this country to raise the food and fiber we need at an affordable, safe, cost-effective rate to meet our needs and the world's needs. what's the other part of the farm bill? it's making sure our fellow citizens who have difficulty in overcoming their challenges, have access to enough of those calories. . plain and simple, that's what farm bills have been about since 1943, making sure we all eat cheap, well, and safe. but they've gotten harder and harder. because the tendency of this body is for some folks on one side of the room to press for a particular perspective and other folks on the other side of the room to press for the diametrically opposite perspective. but ultimately on the ag committee, under the leadership of these fine gentlemen, and their wonderful staff, and all our colleagues on the ag

committee, we still do the right thing. we do policy every five years that works. we do policy that meets the needs of our fellow citizens, and for that matter helps make sure the world has enough to eat. thank you, mr. chairman. thank you, mr. ranking member. let's pass this bill with the overwhelming intensity it deserves. because that's what our neighbors back home deserve. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma yields back. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. peterson: i yield two minutes to one of our subcommittee ranking member, mr. scott. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. scott: thank you very much. ladies and gentlemen, this is the -- this is a great farm bill. there's so much in it. so many great things. but in this farm bill is perhaps the absolute best example of bipartisanship at its best.

to have democrats and republicans working together to to $18 million african-americans, 1890's land grant colleges and universities. i just want to say a big thank you. i want to thank our ranking member. peterson. and i want to thank my -- and i want to thank mike conaway who started with me on this journey, god bless you, mike, thank you so much for your help. i want to thank our friends on the senate side. i want to thank senator david purdue who took the reins over there and helped put the money back in. i want to also thank senator robertson. the chairman of the senate committee. i want to thank my staffer, ashley smith, my legislative director, who worked night and day with me on this bill.

and i want to thank god almighty, ladies and gentlemen, god had his hand in this. to pull democrats and republicans together, to give $80 million to badly needed african-american land grant colleges and universities, only god could pull this together. we thank god for this blessing and for touching the hearts and souls and the spirit of all of my colleagues who will vote for this historic bill. and i want to thank also the staff of both the senate agriculture committee as well as the house agriculture committee. thank you all for the work that you all did in this bill. and i thank you for all the people in america who are

grateful for this but especially the african-american community thanks you for opening up these opportunities for their light to shine as well. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i yield one minute to the gentleman from georgia, mr. scott. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: i want to thank the chairman and ranking member for their work on this. this will provide the first major reforms of our nation's agriculture policies in five years. other the last several years, members on both sides of the aisle have worked to make sure our agriculture policy works for american producers. this year i was once again honored to serve on the conference committee to fight for the good people of

middle and south georgia who dedicate their lives to agriculture. i'm confident that this bill delivers reforms that our farmers and industry stake holders desperately need to keep our producers and rural communities growing and innovating for the 21st century. this bill strengthens the farm safety neat that strengths -- strengthens the safety neat we need. it also ensures farmers can provide the food, nutrition, and fiber not only for america but the rest of the world. we have laid the groundwork for expanding quality brondband access for rural america by giving the usda the resources to bridge the digital divide that's leaving millions of rural americans behind and hindering our communities from thriving. i'm glad that two amendments i offered were included in the final bill which will bring accountability and spur broadband infrastructure to rural america. bridging the digital divide is something i've been fighting for for years. i look forward to seing the

growth in network service through the provisions of this bill. in this conference report we also found common ground to make improvements to snap. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. scott: i urge my colleagues to support this conference report and yield the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. peterson: i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlelady from ohio, one of our subcommittee ranking members. the speaker pro tempore: the for twody is recognized minutes. >> let me thank mr. peterson as well as the staff for negotiating this conference report. the bill is a good bill, it is not a perfect bill but certainly worthy of our support. ms. fudge: i'm pleased members on both sides of the -- of the aisle and across the chamber were able to reach consensus on

how the american congress can work together. this agreement protects snap by rejecting proposals in house farm bill that would have severely weakened the program and taken food assistance away from nearly two million people. this agreement increases access to healthy foods and underserved communities and takes steps to tackle food waste which we know is a major problem. this agreement builds new opportunity it is build soil health and water quality in the great lakes. this agreement provides beginning and minority farmers and ranchers additional tools and resources needed to own and operate successful businesses. this agreement thoorses $350 million per year for rural broadband coverage. this agreement expands investment in low income urban and rural communities. finally this agreement provides certainty and sound agricultural policies for america's producers and consumers. i encourage my colleagues to join me and vote yes on the

final conference report. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the jerusalem yields back. the gentleman from minnesota se reserves. the -- reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. conaway: i recognize another member of the committee, jamie coburn, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. coburn: it's been a long road and debate to reach an agreement on the farm bill. this bill benefits all of rural america, our farmers, producers and consumers. the agreement we reached on this year's bill includes many important provisions to help farm country in difficult economic time, providing crop insurance and providing certainty to farmers. i'm particularly glad to see industrial hemp descheduled from the controlled substances list. mr. comber: this is a key provision i worked on to ensure key restrictions are lifted from this valuable commodity. i thank chairman conaway for his work on legalizing industrial

hemp and all my colleagues to supported this issue and helped bring it to the table. i was proud to represent the interests of kentucky farmers in this process and look forward to a new year of growth and prosperity for farmers and producers across rural america. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. peterson: i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, another of our subcommittee ranking members, mr. cost tafment the speaker pro tempore: the recognized for two recognized minutes. mr. costa: i thank my good friend mr. peterson for yielding the time. i thank him for his work along with chairman conaway. i want to thank the committee staffs on both sides who have work sod hard over the last year. mr. speaker, as a member of the farm conference committee, i'm proud to support this bipartisan farm bill. as a third generation farmer i have the honor and privilege of representing one of the largest and most diverse agriculture regions in the country and in the world. california grows about half of

our nation's fruits and vegetables. the largest ag state in the nation. we're number one in dairy pr deucing, number one in citrus production. fwrapes and wine products. also the largest producer of tree nuts in the world. with over 300 crop the list goes on and on and on. but we are truly blessed in california. so this agricultural legislation is so important. the dairy title, the changes made it in -- in it, are very helpful. with increased research fund, risk management tools like crop insurance, trade promotion programs, this bill is not only good for the san joaquin valley i represent, california, but the entire nation. so we must understand that the conservation programs are also an improvement to help groundwater sustainability and air quality which are critical in california. the forest management improvements will make a difference in western states like california where we've had horrific and devastating forest fires. the vital snap benefits are

maintained and voluntary employment and training programs that i fought for are strengthened. the 10 pilot projects in 10 states i find will provide better ways for us to give people -- get people on their fete who are in need. finally, mr. speaker, i support this farm bill and i urge my colleagues to do the same. it is a good work product. it is good on behalf of american agriculture. put ll of the interests to every day america's food on america's dinner table. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from texas veneek id -- recognize. mr. mr. conaway: i'd like to yield to the gentleman from nebraska one minute. mr. smith: i rise to express my strong support for the conference report. given the ongoing challenges in the agriculture economy it's important that our producers

have policy certainty as they make spring planting decisions. with a sore reese of listening sessions aroundmen's third district, our nation's number one producing district for agriculture, last year to hear producers' thoughts about the farm bill. the number one item on producers' minds was the continuation of strong crop insurance. this bill accomplish this is objective. the bill also recognizes the challenges and threats facing our livestock producers by creating a disease prevention program and vaccine bank to help contain potential future outbreak of disease within the livestock industry across our country. this bill and continued positive progress on trade will go a long way toward increasing producers' peace of mind. i encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this important piece of legislation and i appreciate the support of the legislation in bringing this legislation to a successful conclusion. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. peterson: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. i appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in permitting me to speak on the bill. i commend mr. peterson in particular for guiding this important piece of legislation that includes mr. pro-- many provisions i have been working with for other 12 years. he's been successful in protecting many key democratic priorities, including nutrition, and avoid manage poison pill revisions. near and dear to my herd are reforms for hemp. i'm concerned it doesn't address the growing crisis in american agriculture. i spent three years going around oregon and talking to people. we're not dealing with the chemical welfare inspired by monsanto and bayer. we've got the trump tariffs. climate devastation that's get manager serious by the month. we have a crop insurance program that is not just wasteful but

fails most farmers and ranchers that i represent and indeed in most states. while i appreciate the legislative accomplishment that is represented here, i look forward to starting the next congress with chairman peterson to see if we can build on this foundation to narrow differences, broaden areas of agreement, to do better for our farmers and ranchers, better for the environment, better for taxpayers, and everyone who's. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mr. conaway: i'm pleased to yield to the gentleman from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognize for a minute and a half. >> i rise in support of h.r. 2 an also strong commendation to our chairman, mr. conaway, for

his many, many hearings about the bill and the condition of agriculture in this country. mr. lamalfa: this does compromise , it brings certainty to farmers and ranchers who faced a 50% drop in farm income over the recent years. a positive step for rural america and its economy where stability is greatly needed. it will improve broadband connectivity which is critical for telehealth and rural development. it challenges many california farmers including prioritizing mechanization research to help address the continued ag labor shortage. it maintains a food supply for families in need especially in rural, poor districts like mine while also bringing in increments of -- excuse me, accountability to the food stamp boost jobs. s to

i wish we could have done more on forestry. the town of paradise has suffered so much and a prime example why we need better froffers try in this country. we will continue to have these conversations. so, with the worst fires in state history -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. lamalfa: i'm hoping for improvement. i commend chairman conaway for fighting for policies. d farmers need -- all ofally needs. this bill will make a significant impact. i thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. peterson: could i get where we are at time-wise?

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota has 19 1/2 minutes. the gentleman from texas has 16 1/2 minutes. mr. peterson: i yield 1 1/2 ms. rochester. ms. blunt rochester: thank you ranking member. and to all of the staff who worked tirelessly. i rise today in support of the 2018 farm bill and to commend my colleagues on the farm bill conference committee for a truly bipartisan and bicameral product. i stand confident that the bill will move delaware and our nation forward. it gives poultry growers the resources they need when they need them. it shores up a strong crop

insurance program that protects our farmers against catastrophic loss and provides additional sustainable resources for 1890 land grant institutions ensuring that schools continue their important research while preparing the next generation and ensures that nutrition benefits are maintained for children, seniors, and families who rely on the social safety net. all of these accomplishments were made possible by cooperation and compromise which drew me to the ag committee in the first place. we came together, we got something done and that's what the american people want to see. this is a farm bill we can all be proud of and i ask my colleagues to support it. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the entlelady yields back. the gentleman from texas.

mr. conaway: i yield one minute to milk allen. mr. allen: i rise in support of this bill. spacing a nearly 50% decline in net farm income over the past five years, our nation's farmers and ranchers have had their backs against the wall for far too long. we have the opportunity to right that ship and secure a brighter future for our rural communities and consumers. as a member of the conference committee, the agreement we have reached will strengthen the safety net and provide flexibility to those who feed and clothe our nation. we have been working on this legislation since i came to congress and i would like to thank the chairman and the entire house agricultural committee for their work. i encourage all my colleagues to join me in supporting h.r. 2 to

reinvigorate rural america. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas reserves and the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. peterson: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from south carolina, ms. adams. ms. adams: i thank the ranking member for yielding and chairman conaway for all of the support. i'm proud to speak on behalf of the 2018 farm bill. this bill is strong bipartisan piece of legislation and works for families, for farmers and for all communities. the farm bill now avoids disastrous cuts to snap, a program which helps put food on e table for 44,000 people in members of the committee len burg county. the bill avoids the mean-hearted unreasonable work requirements that were in the previous version. as founder and co-chair of the bipartisan caucus, i'm proud to

have helped secure key resources for 1890 land grant universities in this bill. the farm bill authorizes $50 million to create centers of excellence that in 1890 that ensures he can quits that strip away extension funds for 1890 schools and mandating a report that outlines research and extension funds for all land grant institutions. this major legislative win for our land grant hp hsbcu's. i founded that caucus to bring together a coalition of republicans and democrats, to fight together for greater funding and equity for all of our schools. i thank all of my colleagues on the conference committee and i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill later today. thank you. and i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. . conaway: i recognize the delegate from puerto rico. miss gonzalez-colon: i thank the chairman for allowing me even when i'm opposed to one of the provisions of the bill to speak about it. this bill has good provisions for the states and the territories as well, but there is one provision that would never allow to discuss in a public hearing and the prohibition to the cok fights in the territories. e territories allowed to regulate that and that represents $18 million in receive news. and we are in a lot of financial situations and this regulation will put another. i'm against that prohibition.

when people of puerto rico regulated cock fighting. the rest of the territories, we have been facing this industry. we don't have the votes in the senate. we can vote on the floor of the house. so our people are not fiscally represented and congress is taking an action that would put another burden in our economy. and with that, i yield back the balance of any time. we are against that provision. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. peterson: i yield two minutes to a member of the committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. >> thank you to chairman conaway and ranking member peterson during my time on the agricultural committee putting this farm bill together. as a proud member of the ag

committee who represents the salad bowl of the world, i'm proud to support this farm bill. in my district on the central coast of california, this farm bill will benefit our specialty crop industry by investing in investing. it will help our organic industry with the certification process and research by incorporating the act. this bill invests in our future farmers and veterans and doesn't make any changes to snap without any evidence supporting such changes for the people who need food the most. mr. speaker, i'm at the end of my first term of congress and this is the best job i ever had mainly because of the members of congress i work with, mainly because of the democrats and republicans i have worked with on this ag committee including the excellent staff. despite differenceses and we are on the verge of a possible shutdown, what gives me

confidence is the final version of this farm bill. this is a bill that although it started as a partisan product, it ended as a bipartisan bill. it is not based on ideology or emotion but based on evidence. this is not based on party politics but based on people. not just people in agriculture but all of the people of this nation. that is why we should be support agricultural improvement act of 2018 and vote yes on the final conference report. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from texas. mr. conaway: i recognize john faso for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for. mr. faso: thank you, mr. chairman and i thank the chairman for his leadership. the conference report provides much needed resources that will help farmers help farmers, and during this process, we have acted in a bipartisan fashion to fix broken government programs

that have not worked as intended and left farmers with no where to turn. in upstate new york, our dairy farmers are hurting. the current dairy programs do not work and improvements to the farm bill combined with those in the pipe budget act from earlier this year will help our farmers weather the storm. we have made the dairy safety net by increasing coverage options more affordable by reducing premiums and more anticipation by bringing more incentives for those farmers to participate. we worked to protect the snap program and laid the groundwork for future congresses to make changes to incentivize and reduce the number of waivers that states can brian bring more recipients into the work force. additionally, changes like the national accuracy clearing house

and minimum standards will help enhance program integrity. mr. chairman, i urge adoption of the farm bill, upstate new york and our farmers have waited long enough and i support this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas reserves and the gentleman from minnesota. mr. peterson: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. evans. mr. evans: i would like to thank both chairman for their leadership and bring us all together. i chose to be a member of the agriculture committee because it has jurisdiction over some of the most critical issues facing our community, that is food and nutrition. one issue that has been essential in my work is people in philadelphia have access to fety and healthy and

reasonably-faced property. one in five people in philadelphia don't know where their next meal will come from. i'm fleeced to it maintains snap and let's be clear, this is just the beginning. no child should go to bed hungry, no parent should have to make a choice between putting the food on the table and keeping lights on. our soldiers must maintain, always have food sources in order to provide safety and security. as a member of the agricultural committee i led members of the ag community from farmers to consumers. and i understand the needs of the farmers and others in the agricultural communities through events like the pennsylvania farm show and in meeting with advocates, the national youth

farmers coalition, central food bank. i'm happy to say that this bill does a lot of work for them. in addition to snap, this bill addresses hunger increasing for everyone. is bill provides great flexibility, investing in rural infrastructure and supports research and maintains fundamental conservation programs. food is medicine. food is foreign policy. and this bill is a starting point. we have to work together and i look forward to making it even stronger. i thank the staff for they did. we should vote a resounding yes. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from minnesota reserves. he mr. conaway: i i reserve.

mr. peterson: i yield one minute to the gentlelady from texas, ms. jackson lee. ms. jackson lee: many in my community became food insecure. i cannot tell you how important maintaining the current snap benefits are. and i thank the chairman from texas and my good friend to be chairman from minnesota for their coming together. the importance of funding going to my land grant colleges are enormous and the work that is being added on adding broadband in the rural communities, something that is so dearly needed and has been promised for many, many years. the fact we are expanding access to the f.s.a. farm loans for veterans and beginning farmers, reating a new providing for those of us in the bread basket of the world. rural development is crucial and

the rural development funds are vital. so many things have been able to occur because of this funding. i ask my colleagues to support this bill because this is a perfect coming together as former congresswoman shirley chisholm says, a tree grows in brooklyn. it's a good coming together of you are been and rural supporting a dynamic bill and providing that americans are not food insecure and our children have the nutrition that they need. let us vote for this bill. i yield back. with -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from minnesota reserves. mr. mr. conaway: how much time is left on both sides? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas has 13 1/2 minutes and the gentleman from minnesota has 11. mr. mr. conaway: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. peterson: i'm pleased to yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from florida a member of the committee, mr. soto. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. mr. soto: i thank the gentleman from minnesota and the chairman

from texas. it's been a long road but it looks like we're bringing it in for a landing and america is thankful for a farm bill that we can all be proud of. that includes central florida. we saw huge issues included to help out our orange growers in central florida facing citrus greening which is really hurting our local growers and hurting that iconic orange juice coming from florida. we still have the inclusion of an animal health vaccine bank which helps out ranchers both in central florida and throughout the united states. we saw a snap program that will continue to help out needy families. we saw prioritizing conservation which is a win for both farmers and conservationists alike in an ever more crowded florida. we also saw four bills that we

crafted and put forward included and i thank the gentleman from texas and the gentleman from minnesota for their help with that. the veterans with disabilities language that provides technical training, that was something that i got an idea when i was out in midland speaking to one of the gentlemen from texas' constituents. the bill that allowed for authorization of agricultural research between the united states and israel. is a program that needed a long time to be authorized and we're xcited to have it. algae based research to look at biofuels is helpful and just to conclude, we're also developing high tech sensors in central florida for agriculture and i thank everybody on the committee for their good work and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas se recognized. mr. mr. conaway: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. peterson: i'm pleased to

yield one minute to the gentleman from florida, a member of the committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> for the last two years on the ag committee we worked on farl bills. but also in my district, we have had two hurricanes and the farm bill, the resources that we have had from previous farm bills was very significant. we just got over michael which caused a lot of damage throughout the district. but the most important issue even the other things we are doing for farmers in this is food insecurity. when i talk about food insecurity, i talk about going into my area where 100% of students on free and reduced lunch. and the farm bill takes care of that i need to congratulate my leader, my chairman over here, for their work and the hard work they've put in to make this a reality. also in the farm bill, there's ney for historically hbcu,

black universities. to get more involved and help feed america. i'm so proud and ask my colleagues to vote positive for this farm bill because one great president said, people will not long remember what we say here but they'll never forget what we did here. i can tell you when we vote for this bill, people in need, farmers, all those people that filled our forest service and everything, they'll never forget what we did here, i encourage you and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman is recognized. mr. condition in a way: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota is reneek -- is recognized. mr. peterson: mr. speaker, i think we're out of speakers on this side as well so are you -- mr. mr. conaway: i'm prepared to close. mr. peter spon -- mr. peterson: i'm -- i would just say to everybody voed in

this, the members and staff, it was a bumpy road but we figured out how to get through it, came to a bipartisan conclusion and that's the important thing. this is a good bill for my district and it's a good bill for agriculture in general around the country and it's a good bill for america. so i ask all my colleagues to support h.r. 2. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mr. conaway: thank you, mr. speaker. before i finish i would like to also add my thanks to the staff, the majority staff, the minority staff in the house as well as the minority and majority staff in the senate. untold hours were spent getting us to this place by these hard working men and women who labor in relative anonymity. colin and i get all the hugs and patsed on the back but they do all the hard work. art fisher, patricia strachan, josh maxwell, jennifer tiller,

trevor white, callie mcadams, ayla crosswhite, molly, mindy, yasmin, emy, ashton, darryl, abigail, margaret, john, brian martin hayes, brandon reeves, nicole bane for all the hard work, all the time spent away if families for the last year plus getting to this point. mr. speaker, in a few minutes, there will be red and green lights go up behind your head. pressure facing america's farmers and ranchers are just unimaginable to those of us not directly in the business. pressures of five years reduced income, five years burning thru savings and capital, five years of difficult circumstances, commodity prices low and no real relief on the horizon.

trade turmoil across this world. lots of things going bad as i mentioned earlier in my conversation, 30% increase in bankruptcies. but mr. speaker, the one thought that troubles me most is the increase in suicides. the pressures of losing a multigenerational farm and ranch operation must be incredible. it can cause men and women to decide to make an awful decision s a result of those pressures. this bill will help alleviate that. this bill takes a look at those pressures b takes a look at the stresses and strains across all of rural america, economic development issues, issues and just the practice of farming and ranching, it says here are federal resources we want to put against those problems. against the issues of farmers going out of business and continuing to provide for the american consumer the most abundant and safest and affordable food and fiber supply

of any developed nation in the world. across the last two years with president trump in office, you've seen an awful lot of comments about buy america and let's produce things in america. there's nothing more american than food produced in our nation. and the -- this bill will keep us in that veen, it will keep farmers and ranchers taking those risks, risks that none of us could imagine year in and year out. worries about -- worrying about mother nature, too much rain, not enough rain, rain at the wrong time, they can fight that day in and day out and are the best in the world at it. but they can't fight against the cheating in the trade world, fight against commodity price, they can't control of input costs, they are takers of those costs. they are at the mercy of an awful lot of pressures and stresses an strains that has -- that this bill tends to address. so mr. speaker, the green lights in my view when they start lighting up will be the members

who have taken a look at all these things, all these issues facing rural america and our farmers and ranchers and will say yes, this bill does in fact address those. it does get at those issues. it does offer five years of stability for these folks. five years of lenders being able to understand what the safety net will look like, being able to lend against next year's crop, five years of certainty. we all work better under certainty and knowing what this farm bill looks like is far better than the option of rolling this over to next year and starting this process over. those red lights, green lights will be members who looked at all that and said yes this bill is worthy of my support, worthy of my vote. red lights will say something entirely different. it will say we looked at the same issues, looked a at the resources and said it's either too much, not enough or want to go somewhere else. or there will be some who say there were things in there we wouldn't like to have happen.

the version we passed back in june took bold steps to reforming snap and moving in the direction most of us believed were supported by the american people asking snap recipients to work 20 hours a woke to maintain that public benefit that public effort. we believe it was the right way to go. that was not supported broadly by the body across the building. and we made the compromise as necessary to get us to this place. in spite of that, though, mr. speaker, we made good reforms toward the snap process. toward program integrity and making the program work better for our folks that are in need, that these these programs. the house version never intened to touch nor did it touch the folks we will always take care of, the elderly, the memory and physically disabled, those that are temporarily out of work, didn't touch that. it did go after those folks who are able bodied, should be working, should be in the work force. we have seven million unfilled jobs today and there is work ahead of us to make this happen.

so mr. speaker, as i mentioned, i thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, thank collin peterson for his hard work on the conference committee, thank our senate colleagues who took a different view. but we are here today and mr. speaker i pray that when the lights go up behind your head that there are more green lights than red lights. we can get this to the president's desk, get the certainty for rural america that's necessary. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. all time for debate has expire. pursuant to house resolution 1176, the previous question is ordered. the question is on the adoption of the pretrial conference report. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the and conference report is adopted. the gentleman from texas. mr. mr. conaway: on that, i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman -- the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote for the yeas and nays will rise.

a sufficient number having risen the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on the questions previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order, adoption of the conference report on h.r. 2 and the motion to suspend the rules and concur in the senate

amendment to h.r. 2454 if ordered. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will be conducted as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is on the question on the adoption of the conference committee report on h.r. 2 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title. the clerk: h.r. 2, an act to provide for the reform and continuation of agriculture and other programs of the department of agriculture through fiscal year 2023 and for other purposes. ism the question is on the adoption of the conference report. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]