Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

Washington, DC - Congressman Dennis Cardoza today applauded the inclusion of $7 million in Specialty Crop block grants in the Fiscal Year 2006 budget.  The funding was authorized under the 2004 Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act, which was designed to make U.S. specialty crop growers more competitive in the global market.

In April of 2005, Cardoza, along with Rep. Richard Pombo, led a group of House Members in sending a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture in support of funding the Specialty Crop Competitiveness Act.

“I applaud the Appropriations committee for finally recognizing the vital contributions of specialty crop growers across the country,” Congressman Cardoza said. “We must increase the competitiveness of specialty crop growers in an aggressive global market, and this program is an important first step.”