Democratic House Ag Subcommittee Appointments Announced

From National Sustainable Agriculture Network (NSAC) On Tuesday, January 25, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN) announced the Democratic members and leadership for the Ag Committee’s newly reorganized Subcommittees. Also, the House Appropriations Committee announced its Democratic subcommittee assignments last week; the four Democratic members of the Subcommittee on Agriculture are listed below. House Agriculture Committee:

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Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry
Jurisdiction: Soil, water, and resource conservation, small watershed program, energy and biobased energy production, rural electrification, forestry in general and forest reserves other than those created from the public domain.
• Ranking Member Tim Holden, PA
• Rep. Kurt Schrader, OR
• Rep. Bill Owens, NY
• Rep. Mike McIntyre, NC
• Rep. Jim Costa, CA
• Rep. Tim Walz, MN
• Rep. Chellie Pingree, ME
• Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, OH
• Del. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, MP

Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, and Credit
Jurisdiction: Agency oversight, review and analysis, special investigations, and agricultural credit.
•    Ranking Member Marcia L. Fudge, OH
•    Rep. James McGovern, MA
•    Rep. Joe Baca, CA

Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
Jurisdiction: Program and markets related to cotton, cottonseed, wheat, feed grains, soybeans, oilseeds, rice, dry beans, peas, lentils, the Commodity Credit Corporation, risk management, including crop insurance, commodity exchanges, and specialty crops.
• Ranking Member Leonard L. Boswell, IA
• Rep. Mike McIntyre, NC
• Rep. Timothy J. Walz, MN
• Rep. Larry Kissell, NC
• Rep. James McGovern, MA
• Rep. Dennis A. Cardoza, CA
• Rep. David Scott, GA
• Rep. Joe Courtney, CT
• Rep. Peter Welch, VT
• Rep. Terri A. Sewell, AL

Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture
Jurisdiction: Food stamps, nutrition and consumer programs, fruits and vegetables, honey and bees, marketing and promotion orders, plant pesticides, quarantine, adulteration of seeds and insect pests, and organic agriculture.
• Ranking Member Joe Baca, CA
• Rep. Chellie Pingree, ME
• Del. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, Northern Mariana Islands (non-voting)

Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
Jurisdiction: Livestock, dairy, poultry, meat, seafood and seafood products, inspection, marketing, and promotion of such commodities, aquaculture, animal welfare, and grazing.
• Ranking Member Dennis A. Cardoza, CA
• Rep. David Scott, GA
• Rep. Joe Courtney, CT
• Rep. Tim Holden, PA
• Rep. Leonard L. Boswell, IA
• Rep. Joe Baca, CA
• Rep. Kurt Schrader, OR
• Rep. Bill Owens, NY

Subcommittee on Rural Development, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture
Jurisdiction: Rural Development, farm security and family farming matters, research, education and extension, biotechnology, foreign agriculture assistance, and trade promotion programs, generally.
• Ranking Member Jim Costa, CA
• Rep. Henry Cuellar, TX
• Rep. Peter Welch, VT
• Rep. Terri A. Sewell, AL
• Rep. Larry Kissell, NC

Reps. Holden, Baca, and Boswell are continuing in the same roles they played in the last Congress, albeit now Ranking Members instead of Chairs.  Rep. Cardoza had been a Chair and remains a Ranking Member, but moves from Horticulture to Livestock, while Rep. Baca remains with the Nutrition Subcommittee he chaired, which now also will cover horticulture.  Rep. Costa takes over the lead Democratic role from Rep. McIntyre.  In a surprise move, Rep. Fudge, a second term member of Congress who represents part of Cleveland and its eastern suburbs, becomes Ranking Member of the Oversight and Credit Subcommittee, leapfrogging over a considerable number of more senior members.

House Appropriations Committee:

Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
Jurisdiction: Department of Agriculture (except Forest Service); Farm Credit Administration; Farm Credit System Financial Assistance Corporation; Commodity Futures Trading Commission; Food and Drug Administration
• Ranking Member Sam Farr, CA
• Rep. Rosa DeLauro, CT
• Rep. Sanford Bishop, GA
• Rep. Marcy Kaptur, OH

Rep. Farr becomes the lead Democrat on the Agriculture Subcommittee, as Rep. DeLauro moves to the leadership position in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee.  DeLauro remains on the Agriculture Subcommittee, however, along with veteran members Bishop and Kaptur.  With a reduced number of Democratic seats on the subcommittee in the new Congress, Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), another subcommittee veteran, will not serve on the subcommittee this Congress.