Vilsack Touts Recovery Act Before Budget Committee

By Phillip Bunnell - Talk Radio News Service

Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack told the House Budget Committee that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is helping the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) make strides in creating jobs and modernizing American agriculture.

Chair John Spratt, Jr. (D-SC) and Ranking Member Paul Ryan (R-WI) opened with contrasting messages concerning the Recovery Act. Spratt touted it as saving America from a far worse economic downturn and saving millions of jobs. 

Ryan called the act “a failure,” blaming it for increased national debt. 

“Proponents will tell us that we should all be grateful that the pain is not more acute, and that it’s not fair to hold policy makers accountable for the failures of their policies,” he said.

Secretary Vilsack emphasized that the Recovery Act “is doing good,” and was “a must,” saying that the “stimulus is successful.”  Vilsack said that the increased funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp program) produced $9.50 for every $5.00 invested by the USDA, and that the Recovery Act has allowed for expanded agricultural trade with Panama, South Korea, and Columbia.  Vilsack also said rural communities are receiving subsidies, water treatment facilities, and broadband Internet service, all of which help modernize and support the American farmer, are reaping the benefits of the extra funding.

Vilsack credited the Recovery Act for the recent growth in GDP, and countered Republican criticism of the high unemployment rate by stating that the stimulus had created “a sense of opportunity,” and that it had saved “millions of jobs.”