Agriculture
Agriculture is vital to the Texas economy; one in seven jobs in our state is related to the agriculture industry. We must ensure that the United States continues to enjoy the safest and most abundant food supply in the world.
Texas is the leading farming and ranching state. Farming and ranching are sewn into the fabric of Texas history, and agriculture remains a driver of the Texas economy. SenatorCornyn is committed to ensuring Texas agricultural and livestock producers have a voice in the Senate.
Senator Cornyn serves as the Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness. In this role, he works to expand U.S. exports of food and fiber and pushes to reduce barriers for Texas farmers, ranchers, and small businesses to sell their goods and services in new markets around the world by supporting free trade agreements, including the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
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Senator Cornyn's Legislative Efforts
- Introduced the Feral Swine Eradication Act to safeguard public health, agriculture, and local ecosystems against the threat of feral swine.
- Sponsored the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program Enhancement Act, which would help combat cattle fever tick infestations across the country.
- Voted for legislation, now law, that provided rural Texas communities and Texas’ robust agriculture industry with $100 billion for farm and food safety net programs for FY22.
- Supported the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) during the COVID-19 pandemic to aid agricultural producers who suffered a 5% or greater price decline or who had losses due to coronavirus-related market supply chain disruptions, and urged President Trump to eliminate payment limits for livestock, dairy, and specialty crop producers using the program.
- Authored the Protecting America’s Food & Agriculture Act, now law, to address the shortage of agricultural inspectors who protect the nation’s food supply and agricultural industry at the border.
- Pushed to modernize and improve the terms of the updated U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement to benefit Texas producers and consumers during the negotiations.
- Supported and advocated for equitable trade assistance from USDA for all producers negatively affected by retaliatory tariffs on Texas agricultural exports.
- Pushed back on unnecessary EPA regulations that affect production and agriculture through the Clean Air and Water Act, including support of a joint resolution of disapproval to eliminate the EPA Waters of the United States Rule.
- Continues to work on fiscally responsible ways to provide disaster assistance for Texans facing unprecedented drought conditions.
- Continues to confront invasive species and animal diseases that pose existential threats to Texas farmers, ranchers, and producers such as Chronic Wasting Disease, Cattle Fever Tick, and feral hogs by supporting assistance and research for eradication and prevention.
- Authored legislation, now law, to authorize an animal disease and disaster response program and a foot and mouth disease vaccine bank to adequately address risks to animal health.
- Supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to reduce taxes for family farms of all sizes.
- Supports permanent repeal of the Death Tax, which penalizes farming and ranching families.
Key Votes
- Championed the inclusion of seed cotton as part of the farm safety net.
- Pushed back on unnecessary EPA regulations that hurt farmers and ranchers.
- Voted to strengthen and protect the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) programs to help provide Texas agricultural producers with stability through unpredictable weather and natural disasters.
- Supported the strengthening of crop insurance programs and other risk management tools for Texas farmers and ranchers.
- Voted to make wildfire damage to fencing eligible for reimbursement under the Emergency Conservation Program.
- Voted to repeal mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) regulations for beef and pork.