{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=43CA33A0-A2C3-4142-9E33-6A4DCA0671B3", "Letter: Noem gives powerful voice to ag issues", "2016-10-07", "2016", "2016-10", "Republican", "House", "SD", "Kristi Noem", "N000184", "noem.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "By Todd Wilkinson, Brenda Forman, Keith Alverson, Scott VanderWal and Jerry Schmitz (Argus Leader) \r\n\tAs farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses we strongly disagree with recent criticisms of Rep. Kristi Noem\u2019s transition to the influential House Ways and Means Committee. This was a strategic move \u2013made with the understanding that having a voice during tax, trade and health care debates would be essential to ensuring fair deals for agriculture and all South Dakotans. For this reason, we each offered our encouragement and support to Noem when the opportunity to join Ways and Means arose in early 2015.\r\nWhile Farm Bill safety nets are critical to operations, most ag producers acknowledge that tax and trade policies are also important to our ongoing success. Likewise, regulations and health care policies greatly impact ag producers and Noem\u2019s position on Ways and Means provides us with a reliable voice to address these issues.\r\nSince Noem\u2019s appointment to the Ways and Means Committee nearly two years ago, she has helped champion a permanent extension of Section 179 expensing limitations and a five-year extension of bonus depreciation. Both provisions help free up cash flow for producers who want to put their money to better use. As Ways and Means assembled a detailed outline of what comprehensive tax reform could look like, Noem was instrumental in including a full repeal of the estate tax, which will ease the tax burden for family farms.\r\nWith Noem on Ways and Means, South Dakota farmers and ranchers have a strong advocate when it comes to leveling the playing field to sell our commodities and livestock globally. Less than 5 percent of the world\u2019s population lives within America\u2019s borders. Therefore, it\u2019s imperative for us to be able to compete in a worldwide market through sound trade policies that seek to lower tariffs, some of which can top 700 percent.\r\n\r\n\r\nThere is no doubt that if you\u2019re a farmer or rancher, you care about the Farm Bill, but the conversation must not stop there. We need to fix what\u2019s wrong with our tax code, level the playing field so products can be sold more easily overseas, eliminate harmful regulations, and make it easier to pass our operations to our children. The agriculture industry\u2019s interests are not isolated to a sole committee in Congress, and our representation shouldn\u2019t be either. In her role as the first South Dakotan in history to serve on the Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Kristi Noem is giving agriculture a powerful and effective voice in Congress.\r\n\r\n\r\nTodd Wilkinson, president, S.D. Cattlemen\u2019s Association  DeSmet\r\nBrenda Forman, executive director, S.D. Association of Cooperatives  Pierre\r\nKeith Alverson, president, S.D. Corn Growers Association  Chester\r\nScott VanderWal, president, S.D. Farm Bureau Federation  Volga\r\nJerry Schmitz, president, S.D. Soybean Association  Vermillion", 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": ["http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=43CA33A0-A2C3-4142-9E33-6A4DCA0671B3"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6624909583479166, "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"}