Food Security & Supporting Texas Agriculture

From rising grocery bills to school meal costs, families are feeling the pinch. When I served on the Agriculture Committee, I worked closely with our farmers and ranchers to understand their challenges. I worked with both Republicans and Democrats to develop a strong Farm Bill responsive to the needs of Texas producers. When the same folks that paid Elon Musk $8 million taxpayer dollars a day decided to cut SNAP benefits, I fought for single moms and their children.

Senate Priorities

We heard a lot about the price of eggs during the last election, yet everything still costs more today than yesterday. Texas is one of the top states for beef exports and top five for agriculture exports. Slapping on tariffs has hurt our farmers' bottom line. While Trump wants us to import even more beef from Argentina, I’m fighting to save cattle ranchers across Texas who are filing for bankruptcy. That starts with eliminating the tariffs and pushing beef from ranchers in places like Amarillo, not Argentina.

Enacting a federal ban on price gouging groceries and “dynamic pricing”
Empowering the FTC and states to investigate and penalize price gougers.
Cracking down on big food corporate monopolies that inflate prices by eliminating competition.
Supporting small business grocery stores, farmers, ranchers, and meat processors to boost competition and keep prices low for consumers.
Supporting a national ban on sales tax being applied to groceries
Pushing fair trade deals that benefit Texas producers and exporters.

My Work in the United States Congress

In Congress, I championed efforts to address food deserts in both urban and rural communities. And when I fight for something, I put my all into it, securing strong bipartisan support for several such bills, including working across the aisle to get our incumbent Senator on board. Unfortunately, this legislation included in the Farm Bill is being blocked by the Trump Administration which has let the Farm Bill limp along into its third year behind schedule.

I’ve already started tackling these issues through legislation and in the Senate, I’ll work to get them across the finish line:

I introduced the Supporting All Healthy Options When Purchasing Produce (SHOPP) Act to help families on SNAP purchase more fruits and vegetables, even if they don’t have consistent access to fresh produce. I did this working across the aisle with our incumbent Senator.
The Texas Agricultural Producers Assistance Act helps Texas farmers recover economic losses by requiring USDA to identify and deploy assistance programs when Mexico fails to deliver water promised under a long-standing treaty.
The Next Generation of Farmers Act cuts USDA red tape and helps new farmers qualify sooner for direct farm real estate loans.
The WIC Benefits Protection Act guarantees stable WIC funding so eligible women, infants, and children never lose access to nutrition benefits during government shutdowns or budget fights
The Feed the Community Act reduces food insecurity by encouraging businesses to donate food storage equipment and delivery vehicles to anti-hunger nonprofits through targeted tax incentives.
The Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act reverses harmful Republican cuts to SNAP and ensures families and farmers have the support they need to put food on the table.
The bipartisan Senior Nutrition Task Force Act combats hunger and malnutrition among senior citizens and adults with disabilities by identifying how to effectively address the food insecurity and hunger crisis.
The Delivering for Rural Seniors Act increases food access for seniors living in rural Texas, seniors with disabilities, and those with mobility or transportation issues to receive delivery services from local food banks.