Judd Gregg: “First, as to my original point--and the Senator makes this point with his representations as far as the unpredictability…”

“First, as to my original point--and the Senator makes this point with his representations as far as the unpredictability of the pricing of the commodities--I cited a pricing list put forth by CBO, and the Senator rejects CBO as a scorer on this event. Then we should be coming back to the farm issue every year. We should not be making it a mandatory 10-year event where the authorizing committee can essentially create a cost to the taxpayers of this country which will not be adjusted by the actual events that occur in the marketplace. Second, the fundamental point I am making is that the gross increase in farm spending has been uncontrolled and that the amendment that is being proposed of another $100 billion of new spending on top of the Federal baseline is a massive hole in the Federal budget. It is going to a program which makes no sense any longer. In States such as North Dakota, the American taxpayer is presently paying, in tax subsidies to the average farmer in North Dakota, twice what the farmers make in take-home pay. So it makes no sense. It is a program that makes no sense. I agree with the Senator from North Dakota on that point. But I do not think the way you resolve it is by putting more and more money into it.”