{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://bishop.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/bishop-says-funding-bill-falls-short-for-families-farmers-rural-communities", "Bishop Says Funding Bill Falls Short for Families, Farmers, & Rural Communities", "2026-06-05", "2026", "2026-06", "Democrat", "House", "GA", "Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.", "B000490", "bishop.house.gov", "bishop", "https://bishop.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Yesterday, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), the top Democrat on the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food & Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, outlined his opposition to and voted against H.R. 8646, the subcommittee\u2019s Fiscal Year 2027 funding bill.\n\n\u201cEveryone eats the food America\u2019s farmers produce. Everyone needs safe medicine and medical devices, clean drinking water, and affordable fuel, utilities, and internet,\u201d said Congressman Bishop. \u201cThis bill slashes funding for water and wastewater grants needed by small, rural communities across the country that have a low tax base. This bill guts rural energy programs, reduces rural broadband investments and affordable housing programs, and takes development grants away from our rural businesses.\u201d\n\nCongressman Bishop also noted that, \u201cAgricultural producers are facing increased fuel and input costs because of an unauthorized war in Iran and chaotic tariffs. And this bill will cut staff at the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Rural Development Agency \u2013 leaving offices closed or understaffed \u2013 when farmers need them the most. Increased ag production costs and less USDA support means the cost of food for families also goes up. And, for the first time, we are not guaranteeing full funding for WIC which means as many as 5 million women, infants, and children may go hungry.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs the appropriations process continues, Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate must put aside partisanship to craft a better bill which ensures that Americans can produce the highest quality, safest, most abundant, and affordable, food, fiber, and medicine,\u201d concluded Congressman Bishop.\n\nWATCH: Congressman Bishop\u2019s opening remarks during debate on the FY27 agriculture, rural development, FDA, and related agencies funding bill\n\nUnfortunately, in its present form the bill hurts local, rural communities and economies:\n\nBy steeply cutting critical investments, including water and wastewater grants to help rural communities get safer water services.\n\nBy slashing in half the Rural Energy for America Program loans which help farmers and businesses invest in renewable energy systems or make energy efficiency improvements.\n\nBy cutting Rural Business Development grants.\n\nThe bill hurts farmers and families:\n\nBy cutting the number of employees at Farm Service Agency, Rural Development Agency, and Natural Resources Conservation Service which means many of their local offices will remain closed or understaffed making assistance hard to get at a time when the USDA projects farm income to decline by $4.1 billion from 2025 to 2026.\n\nBy eliminating the program that reimburses producers for the high costs of transporting agricultural commodities or inputs. Higher costs for our farmers mean higher costs for families at the grocery store.\n\nBy eliminating the Healthy Food Financing Initiative that helps feed school children and those facing hunger by purchasing food from local agricultural producers.\n\nBy reducing and transplanting the Food for Peace program thus depriving American farmers of revenue and weakening American diplomacy.\n\nThe bill threatens access to food for hardworking and vulnerable Americans:\n\nBy failing to provide the full fruit and vegetable benefit to USDA's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.\n\nIt undermines efforts to root out fraud, waste, and abuse:\n\nBy cutting funding for the Inspector General and Ethics offices at USDA.\n\n###", 1, "2026-06-27T21:44:12Z", "2026-06-27T22:11:26Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://bishop.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/bishop-says-funding-bill-falls-short-for-families-farmers-rural-communities"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3316450640559196, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}