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Lucas, Schmidt urge agriculture to find united voice

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., today urged the agriculture community to stick together as the process of cutting the federal deficit unfolds.

“If we are cohesive in our efforts we can survive the super committee,” Lucas said in a speech to United Fresh, a fruit and vegetable producers’ group.

Afterward, Lucas told The Hagstrom Report that the super committee in charge of deficit reduction has still not provided the Agriculture committee with any guidance on cuts to agriculture programs.

Congressional authorizing committees are supposed to give the super committee views on programs under their jurisdiction by Oct. 14 — a week from Friday. Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member Pat Roberts, R-Kans., said Tuesday he hopes the super committee will provide a number and let the Agriculture Committee make the cuts.

Lucas also pointed out that half the members of his committee are on it for the first time. The 16 Republican freshmen, he said, are “brand-new puppies.” The tea party-minded members, he added, “drink iced tea. They don’t put sugar in it. Neither do I.”

Of all the committee, he said, “40 percent are very focused on agriculture issues, 40 percent on nutrition and conservation and 20 percent are not sure why they are in the room.” He added that he meant the last remark kiddingly, and that the statement would be true of any congressional committee.

House Agriculture Nutrition and Horticulture Subcommittee Chairman Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio, also said agriculture should speak “with one unified voice” to the super committee. She said Congress is subject to the “whims"”of the super committee, and is afraid it will treat agriculture as a “cookie jar.”

The fact that about 75 percent of the Agriculture budget is in nutrition programs is “stunning,” Schmidt said, noting that she is determined to examine the food stamp program for fraud, abuse and inefficiencies. She also said she wants to preserve funding for the fresh fruit and vegetable distribution program, which she added is fortunate to have baseline funding.

Schmidt also said that lack of exercise is part of the reason Americans have become so obese, noting she runs about six marathons a year, has just completed her 90th marathon, and hopes to complete her 100th in 2013.

Schmidt admitted she occasionally eats pie — particularly pecan pie — but knows she has to exercise the next day to use up the extra calories.