{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://norman.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1136", "Rep. Ralph Norman Leads Letter to USFWS Requesting Depredation Order Benefitting South Carolina Farmers", "2022-01-20", "2022", "2022-01", "Republican", "House", "SC", "Ralph Norman", "N000190", "norman.house.gov", "norman", "https://norman.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "On Tuesday, Congressman Ralph Norman (SC-05) led a letter to Martha Williams, the Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, requesting a depredation order for South Carolina concerning black vultures, which have had a devastating impact on the state\u2019s livestock industry.\n\nThis letter was co-signed by other Republican members of the South Carolina delegation, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-02), Rep. Jeff Duncan (SC-03), Rep. Tom Rice (SC-07), Rep. William Timmons (SC-04), and Rep. Nancy Mace (SC-01).\n\nBackground:\n\nCattle is one of South Carolina\u2019s top ten commodities, contributing $133.7 million to the state\u2019s economy each year. Unfortunately, black vultures are known to frequently prey on livestock, especially young and vulnerable animals, resulting in significant losses for our state\u2019s cattle farmers.\n\nWhile a damage management program has been initiated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the USFWS to research and mitigate the issue, protecting livestock from these predators remains an uphill battle due to the current permitting process. As such, Rep. Norman and co-signers are requesting a depredation order for South Carolina farmers, enabling them to pursue more rapid and effective measures to protect their livestock.\n\n\u201cLivestock producers in this great state are facing a frustrating issue of predatory vultures, and government should not stand in the way of them protecting their livestock and ultimately, their livelihood,\u201d said Rep. Norman. He continued, \u201cI trust USFWS will do the right thing and grant a depredation order for this situation in South Carolina.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:50:39Z"]], "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://norman.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1136"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.342581119388342, "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"}