Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

“Although the funding level in this bill should have been higher, last night’s approval is a giant step toward giving the specialty crop industry long overdue recognition from Congress,” Cardoza said.  “The funding increases the competitiveness of Central Valley specialty crop growers in an aggressive global market.  With the passage of this legislation, I am optimistic that we will be able to bring about more significant support in the future.”

Cardoza had offered an amendment in the House Committee on Agriculture that would have boosted funding levels for the block grant program in H.R. 3242 to $200 million.  The amendment was withdrawn because it became clear that the bill, which also includes funding for methyl bromide research, would have been blocked if amended.