Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) issued the following statement on the Farm Bill conference agreement:
“After many months working directly with our growers in Ventura County toward passage of a Farm Bill that serves the needs of our growers, especially for our specialty crop growers, I’m pleased that the conference committee has come to an agreement. Ventura County’s diverse economy and its spectacular beauty are intrinsically tied to our agriculture, and this bill will provide much needed support to make sure that our local agricultural economy can succeed.
“Specifically, I worked very hard to advocate for funding for Specialty Crop Block Grants and the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, as well as for funding to help fight invasive pests and diseases such as citrus greening. I am pleased to see these programs supported in the final bill.
“While I was not happy with the cuts to SNAP, the final agreement represents a compromise, and it is a vast improvement over the cuts originally proposed by House Republicans. I will continue to fight for Ventura County families who rely on programs like SNAP to keep food on the table.
“For all these reasons, and because of how important this bill is to Ventura County’s economy and jobs in our region, I voted for the Farm Bill conference agreement on Wednesday.”
Issues: 113th Congress, Agriculture, Jobs, Economy, and Small Business