{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/peters-secures-investments-to-support-food-assistance-and-michigan-farmers-in-bipartisan-legislation-signed-into-law", "Peters Secures Investments to Support Food Assistance and Michigan Farmers in Bipartisan Legislation Signed into Law", "2025-11-19", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Gary C. Peters", "P000595", "www.peters.senate.gov", "garypeters", "https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 As a member of the Appropriations Committee, U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) helped secure federal funding to deliver food assistance to Michigan communities and support our state\u2019s robust agriculture sector in bipartisan legislation recently signed into law. The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act provides new, full-year funding for the federal agencies and programs that help Michigan families afford food, improve public health, promote food safety, and help our famers succeed.\n\n\u201cAt a time when Michigan\u2019s families are struggling to put food on the table, it\u2019s essential that we are making investments that meet the needs of our communities,\u201d said Senator Peters. \u201cThis bill provides funding for the programs Michiganders depend on to feed their families while supporting famers, improving food safety, and strengthening our local food systems.\u201d\n\nThe bill includes numerous provisions Peters fought for and secured, including:\n\nFund Nutrition Assistance & Strengthen Public Health\n\nSupporting Nutrition Assistance: The bill funds critical programs that help meet the nutrition needs of American families across the country. The bill funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which assists millions of Americans every month. Additionally, the bill funds vital nutrition programs aimed at supporting children in school, such as the federal school lunch and breakfast programs, and the Summer EBT program. The funding provided by this bill will support approximately 5 billion lunches and 2.7 billion breakfasts to children across the country.?The bill also funds the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which provides nutrition assistance to millions of women and children nationwide and includes funding to support fruit and vegetable benefits.\n\nImproving Food Safety: The bill provides funding for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a vital agency that helps protect the safety and resiliency of America\u2019s food supply.\n\nFunding to Improve Food Safety: The bill includes funding for the Food and Drug Administration\u2019s (FDA) Human Foods Program, which aims to ensure the food we consume is safe and nutritious, including baby food and infant formula. The bill\u2019s report language addresses FDA\u2019s oversight of baby formula production and will support updated food labeling and consumer guidance. This language lays the groundwork for Peters\u2019 Protect Infant Formula from Contamination Act, which would strengthen FDA\u2019s oversight of infant formula manufacturing and improve the security of our nation\u2019s infant formula supply, ensuring American families have access to safe, affordable formula.\n\nFunding to Protect Domestic Violence Survivors and Their Pets: Peters secured $3 million in funding for the Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance Grant Program, which provides funding to facilities who harbor survivors of domestic violence, along with their pets, as well as animal shelters that partner with domestic violence service providers. This program was established by Peters\u2019 PAWS Act, which was signed into law in 2018.\n\nLanguage Requiring the FDA to Develop Monitoring Guidelines for Human Cell and Tissue Products (HCT/P): The bill includes language Peters secured to require the FDA to examine the feasibility of implementing tissue-tracking protocols for HCT/Ps, similar to those required for solid organs and blood products. The bill also requests that the FDA works with other federal agencies to develop routine post HCT/P implant monitoring guidelines similar to current practices for all tissue allograft recipients. This provision builds on Senator Peters\u2019 previous efforts to prevent tuberculosis contaminations in HCT/Ps, including introduction last Congress of the Shandra Eisenga Human Cell and Tissue Products Safety Act,?which would establish an education campaign to prevent tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks from infected HCT/P donations.\n\nSupporting Farmers & Michigan\u2019s Agricultural Sector\n\nFunding for Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS): This bill includes funding for APHIS, which helps farmers combat specialty crop pests. This funding will support Peters\u2019 Spotted Wing Abatement Trust (SWAT) Act, legislation that aims to reduce the spread of, and advance research on, the spotted wing drosophila (SWD). SWD an invasive insect that harms fruit growers and their crops in Michigan and across the country.\n\nBoosting Agricultural Research: The bill includes funding for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), which provides funding for key research projects that can contribute to substantial breakthroughs in food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences. Investments from NIFA help ensure that farmers, ranchers, and foresters have access to fair and competitive markets, while supporting resilient growing practices that produce nutritious and affordable foods for American families.\n\nPromoting Conservation: The bill includes $850 million in funding for the Natural Resources Conservation Service for technical and financial assistance to farmers and ranchers to support America\u2019s working lands. This includes $50 million for Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations to support locally led water management projects.\n\nImproving Public Infrastructure\n\nStrengthening Dam Infrastructure: The bill includes $3 million for the Natural Resources Conservation Service\u2019s Watershed Rehabilitation Program. This program provides technical and financial assistance to communities seeking to extend the service life of aging dam infrastructure and bring dams into compliance with current safety and performance standards.\n\nRental Assistance in Rural Communities: The bill provides funding for rental assistance for Americans living in rural areas to help expand access to safe and affordable housing options.\n\nInvesting in Rural Broadband: This bill includes $109 million for rural broadband grants and loans aimed at the nation\u2019s most hard-to-reach areas.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "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://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/peters-secures-investments-to-support-food-assistance-and-michigan-farmers-in-bipartisan-legislation-signed-into-law"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.1120680030435324, "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"}