By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Wednesday, February 3, US Representative Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) delivered a speech on the floor of the US House of Representatives defending farmers.
Congresswoman Roby said that she led last year’s fight to restore more than $3 billion to the crop insurance program, which was gutted in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. Roby voted against the bill, citing how it “broke faith” with the agriculture community as a chief reason why.
Rep. Roby said, “When you mess around with the crop insurance program, you aren’t just affecting farmers who put the seed in the ground. You’re affecting the ones who sell the seed, who build the equipment to cultivate and harvest the crop, and those who help process the goods to their final products.”
The conservative congresswoman continued, “That farming dollar turns over many times, and there is an entire agriculture supply chain that is affected by farm policies set by Congress. To come in and change the rules in the middle of the game is unfair, and it was important for those of us who represent agricultural districts to stand up for our farmers.”
According to information provided by Rep. Roby, the 2014 Farm Bill repealed the outdated direct payment system, replacing it with a more fiscally conservative, more sustainable crop insurance program that allows farmers to invest in their own risk management policy. Gutting the program two years later amounted to changing the rules in the middle of the game, Roby said.
Rep. Roby said, “I rise to draw attention to the important role Agriculture plays in this country. I am honored to serve a district in which Agriculture represents the largest employer and is responsible for $11 billion dollars in economic impact. It’s why, during my time on the House Agriculture Committee, I was proud to help craft a new Farm Bill that delivers modern, more conservative policy for our farmers. And it’s why, as a Member of the Appropriations Committee, I have remained diligent in making sure the promises we made in the Farm Bill are kept.”
Rep. Roby concluded, “Mr. Speaker, my farmers know I have their back, and I always will as long as I’m in Congress.”
Martha Roby is scheduled to speak at the Wiregrass Cotton Expo in Dothan on Friday.
Congresswoman Roby represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District.
Rep. Roby is seeking her fourth term in the US Congress. She faces GOP Primary opposition from Robert “Bob” Rogers and Becky Gerritson.
The Alabama Farmer’s Federation has endorsed Roby.
The Republican Primary is on March 1.
