{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=410708", "Womack Votes to Empower Arkansas Producers and Rural Communities", "2026-04-29", "2026", "2026-04", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Steve Womack", "W000809", "womack.house.gov", "womack", "https://womack.house.gov/news", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 April 29, 2026\u2026Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) today voted in support of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill that advanced out of the House Appropriations Committee.\n\nThis bill allocates $26.27 billion in discretionary spending to fund the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and more.\n\nCongressman Womack said, \u201cThis funding bill reins in regulatory overreach and ensures that our federal programs empower American producers and rural communities\u2014all while maintaining the highest food and drug safety standards. Arkansas\u2019s Third District is a national leader in poultry production and agricultural research, and this legislation provides resources to strengthen that leadership.\u201d\n\nDuring the full committee markup, Congressman Womack spoke against an amendment that would continue to prevent broiler chicken farmers from selling their surplus eggs into the breaker market for pasteurization and mixture into everyday grocery products. The amendment was not adopted.\n\nWatch Congressman Womack\u2019s remarks HERE.\n\nMore bill highlights:\n\nEmpowers American producers and rural communities by:\n\nReining in Biden-era regulations aimed at dictating how poultry and livestock producers raise and market their animals.\n\nIncreasing resources for the Food Safety and Inspection Service to fund frontline meat and poultry inspectors and bolster support for state inspection programs.\n\nImproving the tracking of foreign-owned U.S. agricultural land by countries such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.\n\nFunding agricultural research and rural development programs.\n\nStreamlining the pet food labeling regulatory environment by eliminating a burdensome patchwork of requirements, thereby increasing economic productivity and employment opportunities for AR-3 pet food producers.\n\nSupporting the FDA's work related to contaminated poppy seeds and directing the agency to carry out enforcement measures to ensure only safe poppy seeds are available for consumption.\n\nA summary of the bill is available HERE.\n\nThe bill text, before adoption of amendments, is available HERE.\n\nCongressman Steve Womack (AR-3) has represented Arkansas\u2019s Third Congressional District since 2011. He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.\n\nwomack.house.gov\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-30T06:05:15Z", "2026-04-30T06:07:09Z"]], "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://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=410708"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.895259901881218, "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"}