Congressman Sanford Bishop

Representing the 2nd District of Georgia

Fiscal Responsibility

I am a member of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, which is “dedicated to a core set of beliefs that transcend partisan politics, including a deep commitment to the financial stability and national security of the United States.”  I support amending the United States Constitution to require a balanced budget and ensure that lawmakers act in a fiscally responsible manner.  I also have co-sponsored The No Budget, No Pay Act, which states that if Congress does not approve its budget and all appropriations conference reports by October 1st every year, then Members of Congress do not get paid.  I am a supporter of PAYGO, which requires that new spending or tax changes do not increase the federal deficit.   Finally, I support a long-term budget agreement that would reduce the deficit, reform the tax code and entitlements, and make the necessary investments to create jobs, improve infrastructure, educate our children, train our workers, and grow the economy into the future.  

More on Fiscal Responsibility

Jul 24, 2012 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), who serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, joined 62 of his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in sending a letter the House Leadership urging them to bring H.R. 6083, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management (FARRM) Act, or Farm Bill, to a vote before the August District Work Period, scheduled to begin on August 4, 2012.

Jul 19, 2012 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, stood in support of Georgia’s tomato industry in regards to unfair trade practices. In a letter to the Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce Rebecca Blank, Congressman Bishop called for the withdrawal of the 1996 antidumping petition and the termination of the 2008 Suspension Agreement governing the importation of tomatoes from Mexico.

May 15, 2012 Press Release

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) released the following statement today in recognition of the 150th anniversary of the United States Department of Agriculture:

Mar 20, 2012 Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) and Congressman Rick Crawford, (AR-01) will hold a lunch on Wednesday, March 21st with leaders of the American chicken industry.  The lunch will serve as the inaugural event of the bipartisan Congressional Chicken Caucus.  The Chicken Caucus was established to educate members of Congress and their staffs on the concerns and benefits of the U.S. chicken industry.

Feb 29, 2012 Press Release

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) attended a budget hearing hosted by the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies.  Dr. Margaret Hamburg, the Food and Drug Administration’s Commissioner for Food and Drugs, testified before the subcommittee on President Obama’s fiscal year 2013 budget request for the FDA.

Dec 2, 2011 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) sent a letter to Ambassador Ron Kirk, United States Trade Representative, urging him to ensure that Georgia’s tobacco farmers are not excluded from taking advantage of trade protections offered under the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). Georgia Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson along with Representatives Jack Kingston, John Barrow, and Austin Scott were co-signatories to the letter.

Aug 31, 2011 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) today joined members of Georgia's congressional delegation in urging U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to grant Secretarial Disaster Designations for those counties that have been adversely impacted by the state's ongoing drought. Due to high temperatures that have engulfed Georgia the last several months, sectors of the state's agricultural industry, particularly farming communities in southwest Georgia, have suffered severe economic hardships.

Jul 12, 2011 Press Release

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 1309, the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2011.  The measure, which would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for five years and make several reforms to strengthen NFIP’s financial position, passed the House by a vote of 406 to 22.  Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) voted in favor of the bill.

Jun 17, 2011 Press Release

Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) stood up for farmers and rural communities in voting against the Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Act because it unfairly targeted the agriculture community. If signed into law, the bill would make draconian cuts to agriculture research programs, rural development programs and assistance for seniors and pregnant mothers who go hungry. The bill barely passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 217 to 203.

Jun 9, 2011 Press Release

Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) this week joined members of the Georgia delegation in sending a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack urging him to designate 22 Georgia counties suffering from drought as Secretarial Disaster Areas. Farmers across Georgia have suffered major crop losses because of the extreme weather, and the Georgia USDA State Emergency Board recently listed which counties are suffering from extreme drought conditions according to the U.S. Drought Monitor as of June 2, 2011.

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