mr. chairman , i thank my colleague , the ranking member of the subcommittee on agriculture , rural development , food and drug administration , and related agencies of the committee on appropriations , for yielding me this time in support of h.r. 2744 ; and i want to commend and thank the gentleman from texas ( chairman bonilla ) and his fine staff for their work on this important bill . 
we know it is not easy under the budget constraints , and we appreciate all the work that has been done . 
i especially want to thank and compliment our new ranking member , the gentlewoman from connecticut ( ms. delauro ) xz4001030 , and her staff for her efforts to be sure our nation 's diverse needs are met , including in agriculture , in food safety , in pharmaceutical safety , and all of the responsibilities this subcommittee has . 
it has been a privilege for me to have served as ranking member for several years on this subcommittee , and i have full confidence that the gentlewoman from connecticut ( ms. i want to take a brief moment today to raise two issues which are part of this appropriations bill and thank the committee for its support . 
two aspects of this legislation will help rural america produce for the future , produce for the marketplace and develop expanding markets and be value-added for the benefit of both producers and consumers as well as for our nation . 
i have been a very strong supporter of bioenergy funding every year since we first added the first-ever energy title to the farm bill in the year 2001 . 
it took us to this new century and millenium to envision a new energy future based on american agriculture . 
it is amazing it has been such an uphill struggle to get the department of agriculture to help the farmers of our country pull this new industry forward . 
sadly , it is the department of agriculture that has been the most lax in this partnership . 
every citizen knows america can not continue importing our fuels . 
we must restore energy independence here at home . 
no group is better situated to do it immediately than our farmers and ranchers . 
more ethanol and biodiesel are being produced each year . 
america is only beginning to realize the full potential of american agriculture to help move america toward energy independence sooner rather than later . 
just yesterday , producers from around our country displayed a broad array of bio-based products here up on capitol hill , ranging from everything from trash cans to lubricants to carpeting to new materials to ethanol to soy diesel , all from american agriculture , as we unlock the mystery of organic chemistry and renewable energy for our future . 
the president of the united states has gone to a number of events around the country claiming he supports biofuels . 
he was at another one in virginia last week . 
but one of the key facts that the press fails to report is that the president 's budget keeps proposing cuts in the programs he claims to support . 
year after year , we have seen cuts of $ 50 million or more proposed in the bioenergy program at the u.s. department of agriculture , which is a very small program . 
year after year , we have to work here in this house and in this congress to restore it . 
i am very pleased that this bill includes $ 23 million for section 9006 renewable energy grants and loans . 
given the growing support for this program , i am happy that we were able to obtain the money in the base bill without the need to offer amendments , as we have had to do over the past 2 years . 
one of the real success stories in american agriculture in recent years , beyond this effort to try to convert to renewable fuels , has been the rapid rise of farmers markets and roadside stands across our country to help our small family and medium-sized farmers direct market . 
as cartels take over our food system , this is a way forward for independent farmers across our country . 
these markets are not just in rural areas . 
they are in urban areas where there are no big grocery stores . 
they are in urban areas where ethnic markets offer great opportunities . 
they are in urban areas offering economic development activity that links knowledgeable consumers with appreciative vendors . 
they are in suburban areas . 
in fact , they are right here behind the u.s. department of agriculture , where we had to fight to get the department to allow a farmers market to operate so the millions of tourists who come here every year could buy products grown in virginia and maryland and help our local producers realize some of that income directly . 
we were able to secure , with the help of the gentleman from texas ( chairman bonilla ) and the ranking member , the gentlewoman from connecticut ( ms. delauro ) xz4001030 , as part of this bill to begin funding for the farmers market promotion program authorized in the farm bill several years ago . 
competitive applications from across the country will be solicited to help expand the availability of fruits and vegetables to consumers who want these products but can not get them as readily as you might believe . 
it will help link our farmers to the real consumer market that they deserve to connect to . 
one regret i do have is we were not able to increase funding for the seniors farmers market nutrition program , which has shown that linking senior citizens with area farmers is an absolute win-win for both nutrition and for american agriculture . 
the $ 15 million provided by the farm bill is only about half of what the nation is already saying that it needs . 
but there is no doubt that this program could expand greatly in the years to come , and we are going to make every effort to do that . 
i look forward to working to help these programs expand to meet the true need among our nation 's seniors as well as others as we move to conference and urge support for the fiscal 2006 agriculture appropriations bill . 
again , i thank the gentleman from texas ( chairman bonilla ) for his great composure during committee meetings and his great leadership , and also the gentlewoman from connecticut ( ms. delauro ) xz4001030 and congratulate her for the great job she has done on this bill . 
