Ag Policy Blog

OMAHA (DTN) -- U.S. Rep. David Scott, a Georgia Democrat who was the first Black lawmaker to serve as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, died on Wednesday at age 80.

Scott was a strong advocate for farmers, people needing food assistance and historically Black colleges.

He was the first representative from Georgia to serve as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee from in 2021 and 2022 at a time when Congress passed legislation dealing with the economic recovery from the pandemic.

"I was born on my grandparents' farm in rural Aynor, South Carolina, during the days of segregation, and the hardships, of those, on whose shoulders I now stand," Scott said when he was named to chair the committee. "I owe this historic selection as the first African American Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee to a diverse coalition of members from across our nation. And I will use this critical opportunity to represent the values of our entire caucus and advance our priorities for trade, disaster aid, climate change, sustainable agriculture, SNAP, crop insurance, small family farms, specialty crops, and rural broadband. The fault lines dividing our rural and urban communities are running deep, and climate change is now threatening our nation's food supply. As Chairman, I will lead the fight to rise up and meet these challenges."

Scott was born in South Carolina, but raised in Florida, growing up in the Jim Crow era. His career was in advertising, working in areas such promoting businesses on billboards. He served in the Georgia Legislature as a representative and then later as a state senator until he was elected to Congress in 2002.

Scott had served on the Agriculture Committee his entire career in Congress. He cited as one of his accomplishments the inclusion of a scholarship program for the historically-Black 1890s universities in the 2018 farm bill.

In the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Scott included language to provide relief for minority farmers with outstanding USDA loans. The provision, however, ended up being overturned in courts when white farmers sued over discrimination. Scott also played a role in ensuring the IRA included $20 billion more for conservation programs. Some of those funds were used to help lower greenhouse gases or sequester carbon under the Biden administration, but now have been rolled into farm-bill spending on conservation.

When the House flipped, Scott served as ranking member of the committee in 2023-24 and resisted Republican plans to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the farm bill. Republicans weren't able to successfully cut the program until they used budget reconciliation rules last year to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act without any Democratic support.

In a debate over farmer aid late in 2024, Scott also criticized the Freedom Caucus for wanting to "deny aid" to farm families. Georgia's agriculture sector was hard-hit by the hurricanes and lawmakers from both parties had called for an aid package before the election.

"The House Freedom Caucus not only threatens the natural disaster supplemental, but it also undermines efforts among the four corners of the House and Senate agriculture committees to craft much-needed economic assistance that addresses the ongoing downturn in large parts of the agricultural economy," Scott said.

Scott's health, though, became a central issue that led Democrats to replace him as the committee ranking member for the current Congress. Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., ended up replacing Scott in that post in the current Congress.

Craig on Wednesday released a statement after Scott's passing was announced. "Our hearts go out to Congressman and former Chairman David Scott's wife, Alfredia, family, friends and staff. He was a strong voice for Georgia's farmers, hungry, veterans and young people -- who he helped shape into the next generation of agricultural leaders through his fierce advocacy for the 1890s Scholarship Program at historically Black colleges and universities. The House Agriculture Committee will remember him for his strong faith, kindness and dedication to our nation's farmers and working people. May his memory be a blessing."

Scott still remained an active member of the Agriculture Committee and also served on the House Financial Services Committee. During an Agriculture Committee meeting last week, Scott asked the chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) about how the CFTC and Securities and Exchange Commission were working together to protect sensitive market information from hackers and data breaches.

Georgia farmer Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, said in a statement he was deeply saddened to hear about Scott's passing.

"Throughout his five decades of public service at the state level and then in Congress, Representative Scott kept the well-being of others at the center of his efforts. I had the pleasure of getting to know David during his time in the Georgia Assembly, and our relationship grew during his tenures as the ranking member and chair of the House Agriculture Committee," Duvall said.

Duvall added, "He was committed to improving conditions for America's farmers and was willing to reach across the aisle to get the job done. My prayers are with his family during this difficult time, and for the communities he served."

Rob Larew, president of the National Farmers Union, also said farmers were grateful for Scott's leadership and service to agriculture.

"Representative Scott was a fierce champion for agriculture, and our hearts go out to his family, friends, and constituents during this difficult time. As former chair of the House Agriculture Committee, he fought tirelessly for family farmers and ranchers in Georgia and across the nation. His work to broaden the tent of agriculture and expand opportunities for minority farmers will leave a lasting mark."

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

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