Heinrich Highlights Successful Work to Secure Full Funding for WIC, Deliver for New Mexico’s Rural Communities, Farmers, & Children in FY24 Agriculture Appropriations Bill

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivered remarks on the Senate floor highlighting the major investments he secured in the Agriculture Appropriations bill - supporting women and children, maintaining vital rental assistance for New Mexicans in rural communities, protecting resources farmers and producers count on, and strengthening America's food and medicine supply.

Heinrich successfully fought to secure full funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children - better known as WIC - which serves nearly 7 million women and children nationwide. The bill also includes$11,208,150 for 20 local projects across New Mexico.

VIDEO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) speaks on the Senate floor about his efforts to secure full WIC funding in the Agriculture Appropriations Bill, March 7, 2024.

"My singular goal was delivering a bill that will help farmers produce healthy food, support economic development in rural communities, and help working families put food on the table," said Heinrich. "I am proud to say that despite House Republicans' best efforts, we have fully funded WIC. This is a major win for families across the country. I would urge all of my colleagues to support these investments that will make a real difference for working families, for the farmers who produce our food, and for rural economies."

Heinrich's remarks as prepared for delivery are below:

I rise now as the Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies.

For the better part of nine months, I have been negotiating a bipartisan Agriculture Appropriations bill.

My singular goal was delivering a bill that invests in rural communities, supports our farmers, and delivers for America's children.

That's what our Agriculture Appropriations bill does.

And I am proud to have gotten us here alongside Ranking Member John Hoeven and his great staff, and with the immeasurable leadership of Chairwoman Patty Murray.

Our bill will help farmers produce healthy food.

It will support economic development in rural communities

And it will help working families put food on the table.

As we went through the negotiations, I had to stand particularly firm to protect the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children-better known as WIC.

I can't think of a more important program, and a more important constituency, in our country than one that delivers food to babies and toddlers.

My constituents in New Mexico agree.

Dr. Larence Shandler is a pediatrician in New Mexico.

As he put it in a letter to my office, the impact of delivering this support goes way beyond the food itself.

Dr. Shandler shared how children who receive WIC have improved birth outcomes, increased immunization rates, better access to health care, reduced healthcare cost, and better referrals to social services for families.

He said: "Now is not the time to scale back on WIC."

I couldn't agree more.

And I am proud to say that despite House Republicans' best efforts - and, believe me, they tried…

We have fully funded WIC.

This is a major win for families across the country.

We are ensuring that none of the 7 million women and children who depend on this nutrition will be put on a waitlist or denied assistance.

I'm also proud that we have fully funded SNAP- a program that helps 42 million Americans put food on the table each month.

In doing that, we also blocked House Republicans' attempts to impose new red tape and ineffective restrictions on eligibility for Americans who count on SNAP.

Because what working families need right now is a government that will fight for them.

Not one that will make their lives more difficult.

Our bill fully funds Child Nutrition Programs-like the School Lunch program, the school breakfast program, and the Summer EBT program-to ensure that children don't go hungry.

Our kids should be able to focus on learning, on growing, on making new friends.

Not worrying about when they will eat their next meal.

We are also maintaining our strong support for the agricultural producers who grow our food.

That includes maintaining support for vital agriculture research and our nation's next generation of researchers through funding for both the Agriculture Research Service and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture.

These funds support scientific discovery at land grant universities and research centers all across our nation, including New Mexico State in my home state.

Our bill also delivers investments to help our nation's farmers and producers make their operations more resilient to an ever-changing climate.

Farmers in New Mexico are grappling with drier conditions and dwindling water supplies.

And they are not alone.

I know that farmers and producers are eager to improve the long-term health of their working landscapes.

They just need effective tools to improve soil health, conserve water, conserve energy, and manage their natural hazard risks.

Speaking of managing risks and improving safety, our bill also supports the Food and Drug Administration's critical mission to protect the safety and security of our nation's supply chains for food and for medicine.

Our bill will also deliver important economic development investments to revitalize rural communities all across America.

That includes support for the Rental Assistance program at USDA that ensures Americans living in rural areas have access to safe and affordable housing.

We also delivered vital investments in public safety for our rural communities.

I was very proud to secure millions of dollars of federal funding that will help communities all across New Mexico.

From Taos County to Anthony and Portales to San Juan County, we were able to fund fire engines and ambulances, and build new emergency response facilities.

Finally, at a time of mounting international conflict and global food insecurity, we are reaffirming America's moral leadership in fighting hunger worldwide.

Maintaining our support for international food aid programs not only demonstrates our nation's commitment in the fight against hunger.

It also helps us build new markets for our agricultural exports.

As we drafted this bill, and steered it through negotiations with the House, we had to make some difficult decisions on how to best invest taxpayer dollars.

We had to stay within the very thin margins for topline funding levels that were agreed to last year by President Biden and House Republican leadership.

But I am very proud of where we landed in this comprehensive, bipartisan legislation.

I especially want to thank the staff on the subcommittee for all the work they did to land this bill.

And I would urge all of my colleagues to support these investments that will make a real difference for working families, for the farmers who produce our food, and for rural economies.

More information on the FY24 Agriculture Appropriations bill Heinrich authored and negotiated can be found here.

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