CARH’s BROADCAST EMAIL – Legislative Update

May 16, 2017

In a broadcast email dated May 12^th, CARH provided members with our position on USDA’s proposed reorganization of Rural Development (RD). Yesterday, CARH co-signed, with other organizations of the Campaign for Renewed Rural Development, a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees and House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees opposing the elimination of the Office of Under Secretary for Rural Development.

As mentioned in our earlier broadcast email, the House and Senate Agriculture Committees and House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees will be holding hearings during the next few weeks on a variety of policy issues. Members of Congress on the above committees will be important players in this reorganization. Therefore, if you live in a District or State where these members are from, we continue to urge you to contact them and tell them not to support this reorganization as it is currently planned. Tell them that international trade should not be linked to RD and should not be promoted at the expense of rural housing, the residents of rural housing, as well as other mission areas currently under RD. There should be an Under Secretary for Rural Development as well as one for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. 

To see if your members of Congress are on one of the committees mentioned above, use the following links:

• Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition & Forestry
• House Committee on Agriculture
• Senate Committee on Appropriations; Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
• House Committee on Appropriations; Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies

If you have any questions or comments, please contact CARH at 703-837-9001 or carh@carh.org.