Agriculture
America depends on our farms for food, clothing, and thousands of jobs. Many farms are small family businesses that make up the economic and cultural backbone of Maryland's First Congressional District. As a Senator in the Maryland General Assembly, I helped promote and protect Maryland agriculture and poultry. I continue to do the same in the halls of Congress.
Farmers must be protected from unnecessary and harmful federal regulations that could hurt their ability to grow and create jobs. The estate tax must be eliminated because families should be able to pass farms down to the next generation without penalty. Private property rights have to be upheld – farmers should not be subjected to harmful land use laws that devalue their property and make it more difficult to do business.
More on Agriculture
WASHINGTON, DC: Today, Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (R-MD), Acting Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee along with Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), a member of the Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee, announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved a $1,611,000.00 grant for the Smith Island Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Improvements project.
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Andy Harris, M.D., Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone (all Md.) today urged U.S. Department of Commerce leadership to initiate a new benchmark stock assessment for the Chesapeake Bay blue crab population, in line with the recommendations of leading scientists and fisheries managers.
WASHINGTON, DC: Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01), will hold two telephone town halls this week reaching out to over 100,000 constituents. On Tuesday, September 6th, Congressman Harris’s office will call out to constituents in the western reaches of the district and on the Upper Shore. Then on Thursday, September 8th, Congressman Harris’s office will call out to constituents living in the Mid-and-Lower Shore.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, John Sarbanes, Andy Harris MD, Kweisi Mfume and David Trone met Wednesday in the U.S. Capitol with the new president and CEO of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Hilary Harp Falk and the newly selected U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program Director Dr. Kandis Boyd.
WASHINGTON, DC: Acting Ranking member of USDA Appropriations Subcommittee Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01), has issued the following statement on language included in the House USDA, Rural Development and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations Bill. This language addresses the invasive blue catfish species in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
WASHINGTON, DC: Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) is pleased to see that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Labor (DOL) have finally announced an additional 35,000 temporary H-2B visas. The release of these additional visas was made possible by the Harris/Pingree (D-ME) amendment to the FY22 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, which was signed into law in March.
WASHINGTON, DC: Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) issued a statement after meeting with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Administrator Kevin Shea. The subject of the meeting was the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which is a serious concern for the poultry industry.
WASHINGTON, DC: Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) issued the following statement after the House passed the final Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus spending package late yesterday evening:
WASHINGTON, DC: Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) today announced that the USDA Rural Development Agency has awarded $204,161 in federal grants to a local farm in Westminster and two entrepreneurship centers on the Eastern Shore. Specific funding allocations can be found below:
WASHINGTON, DC: Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) today announced the award of $2,767,897 in federal grants to Eastern Shore communities from the US. Department of Agriculture. Funds will be used to update, repair, and extend wastewater service in Worcester County and the Town of Oxford, as well as be used to extend rural broadband service to residents in Talbot County. Specific funding allocations and descriptions are below: