James M. Jeffords: “first of all, the reason we are here today is to talk about cloture, whether we should have time to fully discuss and be…”

“first of all, the reason we are here today is to talk about cloture, whether we should have time to fully discuss and be able to make sure that this body knows the importance of what we want to do, and that is to protect the dairy farmers of the United States. If we don't get cloture, then chaos will happen in many areas, in especially New England which has a compact which would go out of being and would require dramatic action in order to repair the damage that would be done. Dairy farmers around the country are watching the actions of the Senate this week with great anticipation and anxiety. They know that under the 1996 farm bill, Congress instructed the Secretary of Agriculture to develop much needed new pricing formulas for how milk is priced. Unfortunately, they also know that Secretary Glickman's resulting informal rulemaking process is developing pricing formulas that are fatally flawed and contrary to the will of Congress. The Nation's dairy farmers are counting on this Congress to prevent the dairy industry from being placed at risk and instead to secure its sound future.”