Part of the Center’s Politicians Who Care About Food Policy Series: Representative Antonio Delgado
Name: Representative Antonio Delgado
Age: 42
Political Title: Member of the United States House of Representatives from New York’s 19th congressional district.
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Hometown: Schenectady, NY
Current residence: Rhinebeck, NY
Educational Bio: Colgate University (BA), Oxford University (MA), Harvard Law School (JD)
What He Cares About: Protecting the environment, climate change, jobs, health care, LGBTQ+ rights, farming and agriculture, criminal justice reform, opioid addiction, gun safety, infrastructure, immigration reform, and tax policy.
Recent Food-Related Policies He’s Supported: Representative Antonio Delgado represents a district that is home to more than 5,000 farms and over 8,000 farm operators. In fact, almost 20 percent of the land that makes up New York’s 19th district is dedicated to farming. It is the eighth most rural district in the country. It is no surprise then that Representative Delgado prioritizes farming and agriculture on his political agenda–specifically ensuring that small and medium-sized farms are protected against harmful policies and laws that reduce their profits while increasing benefits to large corporations.
Representative Delgado opposed specific subsidies that go to corporate and mega farms within the Farm Bill, which he argues on his campaign website “gives the wealthiest 3% of farmers 40% of the subsidies.” He believes that government has given too much power to corporate-owned farms, and as part of his 2018 campaign, he vowed to help small local farmers increase their access to markets and earn a liveable income from their businesses. In addition, he argued for better funding for SNAP and other food assistance programs.
So far, since taking office he has kept his campaign promises.
On March 4th, Representative Delgado announced the creation of his 19th Congressional District Agriculture Advisory Committee, which includes farmers and agricultural leaders from every county in the district. The 40 members of the group will provide input to Delgado about ways that Congress can better support small farms in Upstate New York.
The Committee was set up to ensure policies reflected needs of beneficiaries, not the interests of politicians. “The best ideas on how we can empower farmers come not from Washington but from those who actually live and breathe these issues every day in our district. We can’t work through solutions to the challenges that family farms are facing without conversations like the ones I’ll be having with this Advisory Committee at the local level.” Representative Delgado said in a press release announcing the committee.
In the opening months of this Congress, Representative Delgado has led the bipartisan introduction of legislation to ease bankruptcy rules for small farms amidst this difficult farm economy, and co-sponsored bipartisan legislation for schools to buy whole milk to empower local dairy farmers. He has also toured a number of family farms, and heard from farmers all across NY19 about what they want to see from Congress.
Links to food related news for Representative Antonio Delgado (NY-19)
- Delgado Introduces Nels Leader of Bread Alone Bakery before House Committee on Small Business (5/8/2019)
- Rep. Antonio Delgado Invites Local Bakery to Testify to Congress During Small Business Week (5/7/2019)
- SCOTUS hears SNAP retail data case (4/22/2019)
- Guest Commentary: Investing in localized agriculture and empowering our family farms (3/22/2019)
- Rep. Antonio Delgado Holds First Meeting of 19th Congressional District Agriculture Advisory Committee (3/20/2019)
- Rep. Delgado Cosponsors Bill for Schools to Buy Whole Milk (3/11/2019)
- Delgado puts Twin County farmers on Agriculture Advisory Committee (3/7/2019)
- Rep. Antonio Delgado Announces 19th Congressional District Agriculture Advisory Committee (3/4/2019)
- After Troubling Response, Rep. Delgado Invites Secretary of Agriculture to NY-19 to Hear Directly from Struggling Farmers (3/1/2019)
- Delgado focuses on help for farmers (2/22/2019)
- Citing Otsego County Family Farm, Rep. Antonio Delgado Urges Support for Rural Businesses at Committee Hearing (2/15/2019)
- Delgado to Kick Off First In-District Work Period with Farm Tour & Six Town Halls (2/14/2019)
- In First Committee Hearing, Rep. Antonio Delgado Addresses Impact of Government Shutdown on Upstate New York Farmers & Small Business Owners (2/6/2019)
- Congressman Delgado Plans Green Jobs Legislation (2/5/2019)
- Rep. Delgado Calls for Answers on Stalled SNAP License Renewals During Government Shutdown (1/18/2019)
- Delgado: SNAP problems not resolved (1/18/2019)
- Rep. Delgado to Serve on Agriculture, Transportation & Infrastructure Committees (1/17/2019)
- Rep. Antonio Delgado Calls for Answers on SNAP Benefits Affected by Government Shutdown (1/9/2019)
- New Rep. Delgado lists priorities for Congress (11/8/2019)
- Is Antonio Delgado Getting a Bad Rap? (11/3/2018)
Learn more about Representative Delgado here.
