Johnson defends work on ag issues

October 6, 2006

I write in response to an Oct. 1 letter critical of my work on the Agriculture Committee.
Among the criticisms was the false claim that my "priorities do not include attending many of their meetings or worrying about the welfare of his constituents or protecting the money that makes our district work."

In the 109th Congress alone, as the clerk of the Agriculture Committee will verify, my attendance record is 85 percent. My attendance in the full House is 99 percent. As the only member of the Illinois delegation on the Agriculture Committee, it is work I take pride in and pursue vigorously.

I talk to farmers daily. I have fought administration spending proposals precisely because of cuts to farm programs so vital to the agricultural community.

When the USDA proposed closing Farm Service Agency offices earlier this year, which would have impacted nine offices in my district alone, I intervened directly to successfully forestall this ill-conceived plan.

I have supported trade agreements that open up new markets for farmers. I have advocated for biofuels that make use of corn, soybeans and other crops in new and creative ways that reduce our reliance on foreign oil. I have supported infrastructure improvements to ease transportation impediments for grain producers.

As part of the Science Committee, I have been successful in bringing research dollars to University of Illinois ag-related researchers.

I understand readers may disagree with my positions from time to time and on those issues we can debate the merits. It is unfortunate that accusations with no merit are allowed to divert attention from those issues.

U.S REP. TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON