As Senate Democrats continue to vote to keep the federal government shut down, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will run out of funding on November 1.  

This means over 900,000 people in the state of Washington will not receive their Basic Food benefits next month. 

The House passed a clean funding extension, with my support, to keep the government open and fully fund SNAP; while Senate Democrats, including Washington’s own Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, have voted against the measure over a dozen times.

Enough is enough. The Senate should return next week and vote to reopen the government before more harm is done. 

In Support of American Cattle Ranchers

By Rep. Dan Newhouse

Last week, rumors of a proposal by the Trump Administration to import large quantities of beef from Argentina took the agriculture industry by surprise. The alleged plan suggests the United States will quadruple the amount of beef imported from the South American nation as a means of lowering beef prices for American consumers. While it is no secret beef prices are higher than years past, a decision to import beef from Argentina would be disastrous for American producers. 

The U.S. is already at a trade imbalance for beef with Argentina. In the last five years, Argentina has shipped more than $800 million worth of their beef to the U.S. and only purchased $7 million of American beef. This imbalance is in spite of Argentina’s lesser quality meat, which has a history of food and mouth disease. By the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s own standards, they have not completed the necessary steps to make sure Argentina can guarantee the safety of the beef products they export. An outbreak in the U.S. could cripple our beef industry for years to come. 

Over the last several years, challenges in the cattle industry including drought, wildfire, and high feed costs have resulted in the smallest cattle herd in decades. Last week, the Department of Agriculture announced a whole-of-government approach to help American ranchers address these challenges. This plan prioritizes new grazing allotments on federal lands, helps reduce inspection costs without compromising standards, and will grow the American herd to meet long-term demand. These are positive steps to help bring prices down by allowing the American cattle herd to grow without flooding our markets with risky imports.

I have heard the concerns of ranchers across Central Washington who understand the implications of importing more Argentinian beef. In turn, I have conveyed to the administration that they should abandon the import proposal and focus on implementing their comprehensive plan to strengthen the beef industry here at home. As a member of the Agriculture Committee, I will continue to advocate for our farmers and ranchers.