{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20150110095118/http://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=1b902a94-df95-421b-8f6b-b82d8bec3424", "Alexander Says Farmers Are \u201cOriginal Conservatives,\u201d Highlights Importance of Farm Priorities", "2013-12-09", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "TN", "Lamar Alexander", "A000360", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Says farm bill, waterways are important priorities, along with opposing burdensome regulations such as Obamacare, EPA overreach\n***\n\u201cIn Tennessee, farmers work on more than 77,000 farms and take care of approximately 10.8 million acres of land. That means they\u2019re doing a full day\u2019s work before many people even start the workday, and shows why agriculture is one of Tennessee\u2019s most important industries.\u201d \u2013 Lamar Alexander\u00a0\nFRANKLIN, Tenn., Dec. 9 \u2013 U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today highlighted the importance of agriculture in a speech to the Tennessee Farm Bureau, calling farmers the \u201coriginal conservatives\u201d and pledging to keep pushing their priorities \u2013 such as the farm bill \u2013 while fighting burdensome regulations and Obamacare.\n\u201cIn Tennessee, farmers work on more than 77,000 farms and take care of approximately 10.8 million acres of land. That means they\u2019re doing a full day\u2019s work before many people even start the workday, and shows why agriculture is one of Tennessee\u2019s most important industries,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cIt is my hope that legislation that improves certainty for farmers and allows them to increase production will become law, and that we can continue to push back against burdensome regulations. Farmers are the original conservatives, because they conserve and preserve the land for future production and future generations.\u201d\nAlexander spoke in Franklin at the annual meeting of the Tennessee Farm Bureau, applauding the nation\u2019s largest state farm bureau and its leaders for their work on behalf of farmers. The senator discussed a number of farm bureau priorities that have seen progress, including passage in the U.S. Senate, as well as challenges facing the industry that he intends to continue fighting against, such as the higher costs Obamacare is imposing on farmers.\nAlexander highlighted the following Farm Bureau priorities:\n\u00a0\n \nA five-year farm bill to provide certainty to Tennessee farmers. Alexander supported the Senate-passed bill and said he hopes negotiators can reconcile differences between that legislation and a House version, to give farmers a five-year farm bill. Alexander said, \u201cThis bill not only makes significant spending cuts, but it also reforms and modernizes agriculture programs and provides farmers the certainty they need to make future production decisions. It\u2019s time for Congress to act.\u201d\nPassage of immigration reform that secures the U.S. border while creating an immigration system that respects the rule of law and provides farmers with the labor force they need. The Senate has passed immigration reform, and Alexander said he hopes the U.S. House of Representatives will \u201cimprove the legislation and finish the job.\u201d\nThe Water Resources Development Act to prioritize U.S. ports and inland waterways. Both the Senate and House versions \u2013 currently awaiting action by a conference committee \u2013 include portions of Alexander\u2019s plan to replace Chickamauga Lock. Alexander said, \u201cMore than 11 million tons of agriculture products are transported on Tennessee\u2019s waterways annually, including 70,000 tons through Chickamauga Lock.\u201d Both versions also include Alexander\u2019s \u201cFreedom to Fish\u201d legislation to permanently stop the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from constructing physical barriers below 10 dams on the Cumberland River.\n \nAlexander also highlighted concerns for the agriculture industry, including:\n \nBurdensome regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency. Those include requirements Alexander has pushed back against that would have farmers make costly upgrades to store fuel on their farms, as well as overreach on the Clean Water Act, which could regulate puddles in farmers\u2019 fields.\nObamacare, which Alexander said is increasing insurance costs and limiting options for Tennesseans, including farmers and businesses in the agriculture industry. Alexander said, \u201cI\u2019m fighting to repeal and replace Obamacare with step-by-step reforms that will reduce health care costs by encouraging competition, and put Tennesseans in control by giving them more choices.\u201d\n\u201cObamacare II,\u201d a rule change by Senate Democrats seeking to circumvent Republican opposition by allowing 51 votes to confirm presidential nominees \u2013 instead of 60. This will make it easier for President Obama to appoint people who will enact his \u201cradical regulatory agenda,\u201d Alexander said.\nWashington\u2019s out-of-control spending. Alexander said his Fiscal Sustainability Act, introduced with Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), would reduce out-of-control entitlement spending by $1 trillion over the next 10 years. He also noted that he has cosponsored legislation to repeal the federal estate tax, known as the death tax. Alexander said, \u201cWashington needs to address the out-of-control entitlement spending that is driving our $17 trillion debt and taking money out of your pockets.\u201d\n \n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://web.archive.org/web/20150110095118/http://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=1b902a94-df95-421b-8f6b-b82d8bec3424"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4591049402952194, "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"}