Rep. Jim Costa (D–Fresno) wants to be the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee.
Costa launched his campaign to be the committee’s Ranking Member on Thursday.
The big picture: Costa comes from a farming family and is the senior member of the House Agriculture Committee.
- He is already the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry, and he also serves on the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.
- Along with his agriculture assignment, Costa also serves on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Europe.
What we’re watching: Costa penned a letter to his Democratic colleagues asking for their support to serve as the Ranking Member.
- He plans to fight to protect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), defend the investments made through the Inflation Reduction Act and bring a strong Democratic message back to rural America.
What they’re saying: Costa tied President-elect Donald Trump to Project 2025, saying Trump will follow the Project 2025 roadmap to leave Americans and the world starving.
- President-elect Trump will utilize Project 2025 as a roadmap for governing our nation,” Costa wrote in the letter. “He has promised to slash SNAP, gut essential safety nets, eliminate science-based research, end marketing orders and checkoff programs, and cut American farmers off from foreign market access.”
- Costa also pitched himself as a leader who can set Democrats up to retake the House in two years.
- “As someone who has represented a rural, agriculture-focused district through a coalition of bipartisan support, I understand how to represent rural Americans,” Costa wrote. “The Agriculture Committee can, and should, be better utilized as the link to rural America and to showcase what our Caucus stands for. As Ranking Member, I will engage our subcommittee ranking members, and seek input from and be accessible to all members of our Caucus. The Ranking Member should play an important role in helping members in tough districts by going and visiting with you and your constituents. With our collective engagement, Democrats will take back the majority.”
