Agriculture & Rural Development Archives - Congresswoman Cheri Bustos

Fighting For Illinois’ Agricultural Economy

As a member of Congress from a rural district who comes from a long line of family farmers, I know how important our growers and producers are to our local economy. In western and central Illinois, we have some of the richest farmland in the nation, and agriculture is the top economic driver.

That’s why as a member of the House Agriculture Committee I’ve made growing our agricultural economy a priority.

When I was a new member of Congress, I was proud to work across party lines to pass the first long-term Farm Bill in years. This bipartisan legislation provided a stable and strong crop insurance program while maintaining funding for programs that feed hungry children and families across Illinois.

Then, in 2018, I fought to pass another bipartisan Farm Bill that included several key pieces of legislation I authored, including:

The Farmers of Tomorrow Act, which makes it easier for young farmers to buy land and put roots down in agriculture;
The Rural Health Liaison Act, which created a new position at the USDA that focuses on improving the delivery of health care to rural America; and
The Addiction Recovery for Rural Communities Act, which helps rural Americans better leverage USDA programs to combat opioid and heroin abuse.

But to keep our agricultural economy growing, we need to help our farmers export their products to new markets. That’s why I traveled to Cuba with the Illinois-Cuba Working Group and the Illinois Farm Bureau to help our farmers develop the right relationships so they can export more of our agricultural products.

It’s also crucial that our growers and producers have a seat at the table when negotiating new agreements with our trading partners. In August 2019, I set up a meeting at the Illinois State Fair between Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the Illinois Farm Bureau to discuss agricultural priorities for the renegotiation of NAFTA—which later became known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

I later cast my vote in favor of a strong USMCA, securing export markets for the agriculture sector with some of our most reliable trading partners and establishing a robust framework for future trade deals.

Additionally, over the past few years, we’ve seen the Trump Administration partner with Big Oil to dismantle the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)—a move that has been devastating to our corn growers and biofuels producers alike. I’ve been working to restore the integrity of the RFS and to ensure that our growers and producers have the support they need to keep our agricultural sector strong and continue investing in the production of cleaner-burning fuels.

While we still have a lot of work to do to ensure a brighter future for our 21st century agricultural heartland, here are several recent examples of the work I’m doing.

More on Agriculture & Rural Development

Press Release

March 3, 2020

Bustos Meets First-Ever Rural Health Liaison

Rural Health Liaison Position Created by Bustos as part of 2018 Bipartisan Legislation Washington – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) met with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) first-ever Rural Health Liaison, Betty-Ann Bryce, in her Washington, D.C. office. Last month, the USDA announced that Bryce would fill the Rural Health Liaison position, which was […]

Press Release

February 14, 2020

Bustos Statement on First-Ever Rural Health Liaison Designation

Rural Health Liaison Position Created by Bustos as part of 2018 Bipartisan Legislation Washington – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the Rural Health Liaison, a position created by Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) in the 2018 Farm Bill, will be filled by Betty Ann Bryce. In response, Congresswoman Bustos released the following […]

Press Release

January 29, 2020

Bustos Statement on House Democrats Infrastructure Plan

Washington – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) praised the Moving Forward Framework, a comprehensive infrastructure plan released by House Democrats. Released on the same day that the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) was signed into law, the Moving Forward Framework presents another opportunity for bipartisan agreement, spearheaded by House Democrats. The framework proposes an […]

Press Release

January 29, 2020

Bustos Statement After USMCA Signed Into Law

Washington – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) issued the following statement in response to the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) being signed into law: “After a challenging year and months of tough negotiation, I am glad to see the United States Mexico Canada Trade Agreement signed into law today,” said Congresswoman Bustos. “With this […]