Agriculture

DelBene Lauds $200k Grant to Boost Rural Economies

| Posted in Press Releases

MOUNT VERNON – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today praised the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) announcement to award the Northwest Agriculture Business Center a $200,000 Rural Cooperative Development Grant. “I’m pleased to see the Northwest Agriculture Business Center receive this vital funding to help grow the rural economy of Skagit Valley. Our…

DelBene: Its a Smart Investment to Provide Job Training to Those on Nutrition Assistance

| Posted in Press Releases

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today highlighted the importance of targeted education for those on nutrition assistance during a House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition hearing examining the success of employment and job-training programs. “Helping people find good-paying, long-term employment in a high-demand industry is the best way to ensure everyone has access to…

DelBene: No Child Should Have to Go Hungry Because Its Summer

| Posted in Press Releases

KIRKLAND – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today volunteered with Food Lifeline’s Kids Cafe program to ensure First District children receive nutritious meals even when school breaks for summer. “No child should be forced to skip a meal or go to bed hungry simply because it’s summer,” DelBene said. “While school breaks for the summer, a…

DelBene, McMorris Rodgers, Thompson, Kilmer Introduce Bill to Support Innovation in Wood Building Construction

| Posted in Press Releases

Reps. Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-05) and Derek Kilmer (WA-06) today introduced bipartisan legislation that would open up new markets and create jobs for rural economies by providing research, assistance and incentives for the construction of tall wood buildings throughout the United States. The Timber Innovation Act (H.R.…

Members of Congress tell administration to speed up H-2A applications

| Posted in In the News

More than 100 members of the U.S. House have written to the Obama administration in an effort to speed up the processing of foreign guestworker visas. Reps. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash.; Suzan DelBene, D-Wash.; Sanford Bishop Jr., D-Ga.; and Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., led 98 other House members in a bipartisan letter to administration officials urging them to adhere to regulations requiring them…

Newhouse, Bishop, DelBene, Stefanik Lead 102 Members in Bipartisan Effort to Address H-2A Agriculture Worker Delays

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), Suzan DelBene (D-WA) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY) led 98 other Members in a letter to U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez and Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services León Rodriguez regarding the administrative breakdown in the timely processing of H-2A agricultural worker program applications and visa…

DelBene Signs Letter to Defend Child Nutrition Assistance

| Posted in Press Releases

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today joined a letter to House Education and the Workforce Committee leaders expressing concern over a number of harmful provisions included in the Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act of 2016. “We write today to express our concerns with the recently introduced Child Nutrition and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Reauthorization…

Pacific Northwest U.S. Representatives Urge State Department to Avoid Delays to H-2A Visas for Agricultural Workers

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, Pacific Northwest Members of Congress urged the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Homeland Security to take proactive measures to prevent the heavy losses to agriculture businesses caused in 2014 and 2015 due to technical problems with the H-2A visa system.  In their letter to Secretary John Kerry of the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Homeland…

DelBene Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Put U.S. Seafood in School Lunches

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Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today introduced bipartisan legislation to require fish products purchased for federally subsidized school lunches be domestically harvested. “The Pacific Northwest produces some of the world’s best and healthiest seafood. We should be supporting our local industries, especially when they are producing a superior product for our…

DelBene Helps Secure Tax Relief for Cideries

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WOODINVILLE – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today visited local small business, Locust Cider, to discuss the passage of tax relief for cideries. “Washington’s First District is home to some of the world’s best cideries and breweries. These growing industries are vital to our economy,” DelBene said. “This important tax relief will help provide…