Republican senator Thom Tillis, Democratic congresswoman Kathy Manning, and Democratic congresswoman Deborah Ross led the North Carolina delegation in calling for the inclusion of mandatory funding to support the agricultural departments at North Carolina State University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University on Wednesday.
Congressional lawmakers from the Tar Heel State are seeking mandatory funding for the Research Facilities Act in the Farm Bill. They say the act is a major priority for land-grant universities across the nation, including NC State and NC AT&T.
According to the lawmakers, the funding would address upgrades to the agriculture research and teaching laboratory facilities at NC State and NC AT&T, which are all over 50 years old. The funding would also address backlogged maintenance at off-campus research facilities and buildings.
The lawmakers say agriculture is the biggest industry in North Carolina and it is supported by the groundbreaking research at NC State and NC AT&T.
A letter calling for the mandatory funding was signed by Tillis, Manning, Ross, Republican senator Ted Budd, Democratic congressman Wiley Nickel, Democratic congresswoman Valerie Foushee, and Republican congressman Greg Murphy.
“While NC State and NC A&T have continued to operate world-class research and extension programs despite these issues, they will be increasingly challenged to advance our nation’s leadership in agriculture in deteriorating, outdated buildings,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. “We respectfully request that mandatory funding for the Research Facilities Act, a high-need, high-impact program, continue to be included in any Farm Bill that advances. Simply put, robust investment in the bipartisan Research Facilities Act is an investment in the future of agriculture in America.”