Gohmert takes stand against FSA closures

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert (TX-01) participated today in a Small Business Committee Hearing titled "Family Farmer and Rural Small Business Priorities for the 2007 Farm Bill."

With the pending closures of several of east Texas' Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices, Rep. Gohmert had the opportunity to voice his concerns on behalf of his constituents.

The president of the National Farmers Union, Tom Buis, was a witness for the hearing. Upon questioning from Rep. Gohmert, Mr. Buis stated, "We are against the FSA office closures across the country because these offices provide the framework which serves the needs of rural America with farm commodity, credit, conservation, disaster and loan programs. A better approach to cutting costs is to start at their Washington DC offices."

Today, Rep. Gohmert has become a co-sponsor of H.R. 1649 and intends to vigorously pursue passage of the bill, which would prohibit the closure or relocation of any county office of the Farm Service Agency until at least one year after the enactment of an Act to provide for the continuation of agricultural programs for fiscal years after 2007. This postponement would be vital, so that all interested parties will have the opportunity to step back, review the facts, and make a judgment that will be most beneficial to the farmers in east Texas who rely on these FSA offices for assistance.

"After hearing from the district how this closure would affect the agriculture industry of east Texas, I returned to Washington more motivated to do all I could to help. Today's hearing in the Small Business Committee, of which I am a member, was a great opportunity to talk first hand about this issue with agricultural leaders of various organizations from across the country. I feel optimistic that the ball is rolling with current legislation to ensure assistance will continue for east Texas farmers," said Gohmert.

Rep. Gohmert represents the First District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. He can be reached at www.gohmert.house.gov..