Ranking Member Bishop Statement at the Joint Oversight Hearing on Food Distribution in Tribal and Elderly Communities

Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA-02), Ranking Member of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the Subcommittee's joint oversight hearing on the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP):

- As Prepared For Delivery - 

To the tribal witnesses on the first panel, thank you so much for coming to talk to us today.

I want to call out attention to Chairman Seki’s statement in his testimony that “Red Lake knows we are not truly sovereign until we are food sovereign.”

This is a powerful, eloquent and unforgettable observation, and it should guide us in our deliberations.

Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) has long been one of those federal programs that seemed to operate seamlessly – as has Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) – and so it is a shock to find ourselves with the problems we are now confronting.

It wasn’t intentional but it is so deeply personal for your members and those who participate in CSFP and thus so painful for all of us here today.

Your documentation of specific problems and your testimony here today is very helpful as it makes what you are going through more concrete.

We also look forward to Secretary Vilsack’s testimony.

We may never know how the problem was not elevated to his attention until August 3.

But once he was aware of it, he has done an amazing job in trying to remediate the problems and I thank him for that.

While the USDA has found $47 million in Commodity Credit Corporation funds to help cover tribes’ expenses and CSFP to help buy their own groceries, brought on FEMA in an advisory capacity to address inefficiencies, and allowed the use of declaration of distress, we must get the regular programs back on their feet as soon as possible.

I know it is difficult to get accurate information about the situation on the ground. So, I look forward to hearing from the Secretary as to how USDA’s efforts to remedy these disruptions are progressing.

From finding $47 million in old Commodity Credit Corporation funds to cover funds for the tribes’ expenses and CSFP to buy their own groceries, to bringing in FEMA to advise on operational efficiencies, to allowing the use of declarations of distress, and many other actions, his personal involvement has made a massive difference.

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that the final FY 2024 appropriation for the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) – the agency responsible for USDA contracting – was more than 12 percent lower than the request.

Also, the final 2024 bill did not fund the 5.2 percent pay raise and didn’t fund two requests for a total of $4 million that were intended to improve the ordering, procurement, and distribution process for USDA food programs.

I am not saying that this would have prevented the current crisis, but I do want to remind my colleagues, especially those on the other side of the aisle, that you cannot have a modern, efficient government on the cheap.

I have said this before, and I will remind my colleagues, once again: Congress cannot meet 21st Century needs and challenges with a 20th Century budget.

I hope you will remember this as the 2025 process continues to unfold.

I yield back.