Ranking Member Klobuchar Opening Remarks at Nomination Hearing

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, delivered the following opening statement at the Agriculture Committee nomination hearing of Gregory Ibach to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, and for Carl Bednarski, John Grunewald II, and James Russell Middleton to be members of the Farm Credit Administration Board.

A rough transcript of Klobuchar's full opening statement is available below and a video can be found here.

Senator Klobuchar: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for those kind words.

We have a lot of work to do, as you noted, in the next few months. We are going to continue to work on this Farm Bill. It's so important, as you noted.

I want to thank the nominees for being with us. I want to welcome you, Mr. Ibach, along with your wife, Teresa. And welcome to you, Mr. Grunewald, and your wife, Terrica. Is that right? Did I say it right? Okay, good. Also, as well as, Mr. Bednarski, thank you. A name almost as hard to say as mine. And your wife, Lisa. And finally, thank you, Mr. Middleton, for being here, and along with Renata, and your daughter Julia, and your son Jonathan.

Before we get to the subject of today's hearing, I again wanted to reiterate my support for the work on a bipartisan Farm Bill which would meet the moment to address the many challenges facing families and farms across the country, including the tariffs and the war.

Our Democratic priorities remain resolving the initial two years of the SNAP cost shifts to states. We know that with the cost of groceries and other things, that this would be a very difficult situation. And we are not going to go into the mid-level error rate states, but the way this was set up, there is a reason that we want to get it fixed. And getting to year-round E15, major priority, funding very popular voluntary conservation programs, which are important to both sides of the aisle, and I appreciate the conversations that Senator Boozman and I have been having, as well as our staff, as well as with the House Ag Committee and leadership. I hope we can find a compromise that will return the Farm Bill to a bipartisan process and bring the votes that we need to get it over the finish line.

So now to our nominees. Mr. Ibach, you have been nominated to serve as the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Ag Affairs, which oversees USDA's trade policy, promotion, and food security work. As noted by the Chairman, you'd be taking over for Luke Lindberg, who recently left USDA to lead the World Food Programme. I have been supportive, as we've talked about, of his work.

I know you bring a wealth of experience to this role as the former Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, as well as a long-time state director. You are also a farmer yourself with a real understanding of the importance of trade for American agriculture.

You are coming to the role at a challenging time. I have been clear on my views on this - the administration's tariffs have been very, very bad for farmers. These tariffs have increased input costs and put markets at risk that farmers have worked for decades to expand. And the on-again, off-again, ever-changing trade policy is making longtime trading partners look elsewhere for trade deals, which is concerning not only in the short term but the long term.

The top three countries targeted with tariffs - Mexico, Canada, our neighbors in Minnesota, and China - are also our top three ag export markets and account for half of all U.S. ag exports. Think about that. This is especially important in my state - we're the fourth largest state for ag exports, and more than one-third of our farm production is sold to customers abroad.

Our farmers have repeatedly said that they want trade - not aid. Unfortunately, we are seeing a lot of trade chaos and several rounds of ad hoc payments that are helpful - I acknowledge and I've said this - but they don't provide the long-term certainty, and even leave some growers out entirely.

If confirmed, Mr. Ibach, it is my hope that you will leverage your experience to try and restore some sanity and stability to our trade policy along with the Secretary of Ag.

In addition, we also have before us three nominees to serve as board members of the Farm Credit Administration. The Farm Credit System ensures that rural communities and ag producers of all types and sizes have reliable access to credit. That mission is particularly crucial today as farmers face skyrocketing costs for fuel and other inputs, coupled with global market uncertainty that has created razor-thin margins. In the face of these challenges, FCA must work to help farmers keep feeding and fueling America and to find ways to open the door for the next generation of farmers.

If confirmed to the Farm Credit Administration Board, you will be responsible for ensuring the Farm Credit System and Farmer Mac are meeting their missions.

I will also note that if you are all confirmed, it would restore the FCA board to full bipartisan capacity. Not a lot of boards can say that right now. And I hope this is the beginning of a shift back to normalcy for all independent boards and commissions across the government.

Mr. Grunewald, Mr. Bednarski, and Mr. Middleton, I appreciate the conversations I had with each of you. I believe you would each bring unique perspectives to the Board, drawing on a wealth of experience from careers in farm, the Farm Credit System, as a farmer and ag policy leader, and as a longtime civil servant who worked in Congress and at this regulator.

I look forward to hearing your testimony and today's discussion.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.

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