Jahana Hayes represents Connecticut’s 5th District in the United States House of Representatives. The district spans northwest and central Connecticut and includes Danbury, Litchfield County, the Farmington Valley, the Naugatuck Valley, Meriden, and her hometown of Waterbury. She serves on committees of Education and Labor, and Agriculture where she is the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight and Department Operations.
As member of the House Committee on Agriculture, Congresswoman Hayes has pushed to ensure Connecticut’s dairies, greenhouses, and family farms have equitable access to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs and funding. She introduced the Helping America’s Farmers Act, which would provide economic relief to farmers in times of crisis directly from USDA. She has staunchly supported the inclusion of key USDA conservation programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Stewardship Program, and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, in Build Back Better and the upcoming Farm Bill. She is a key voice on a committee that disproportionately represents large corporate farms.