Joco Today

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. joined Special Report on Fox News with Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) in a segment highlighting bipartisanship and shared interest in addressing the historic drought sweeping the High Plains and the importance of the Farm Bill to producers. The Senators, who lead the Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Climate, Forestry, and Natural Resources, are hosting a bipartisan field hearing on combating the drought with innovation. Kansas and Colorado water conservation officials, policy advisors, meteorologists and others will participate in the solutions-based hearing.

Highlights from Senator Marshall’s interview include:

On the effects of the drought for Kansas water conservation:

MARSHALL: "We’ve shared the same drought for 10 of the last 15 years, then we have this aquifer underneath us, this aquifer of water…So we’re trying to figure out, how do we conserve this water? Because of the drought, we’re using the water faster than we can replenish it. We use this water to grow our crops as well as to nourish our animals. So we’re trying to pick out the best conservation practices."

MARSHALL: "As we put the final touches on the farm bill, we want to make sure we’re spending that money wisely, and capture what’s working good and get rid of the bad."

BENNET: "It is a major issue, and I’ve been very pleased to have the opportunity to work with Senator Marshall across the political aisle now for years on legislation that recognizes that nobody’s making any more water…I think as Senator Marshall said, there’s not a lot that divides us on these issues."

BENNET: "You know, this border between Kansas and Colorado – drought does not recognize that border; wildfires do not recognize our borders. It’s critical for us to find ways to work together to support farmers and ranchers...just like we did years ago when this part of our country was subjected to the Dust Bowl. We’ve got to deal with it as seriously as people dealt with it back then."

On Threat of Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland:

MARSHALL: "Food security is national security. We take it for granted as Americans, but it is vitally important to our security. That’s why we want to elevate the Secretary of Agriculture onto the CFIUS Committee which evaluates foreign investments; it goes way beyond land and agriculture."

MARSHALL: "I’m probably more concerned about food production. China owns about a fourth of our pork production; Brazil about a fourth of our beef production as well—the processing part of that food chain. So it goes way beyond just land. Very concerned about all this—food security is national security."

BENNET: "I have deep concern about it both in terms of its proximity to military bases but also its integration into our economy as well...This is something that we're focused on and worried about...we're going to find Republicans and Democrats who can support this effort together..."