Pete Domenici: “I want to say hearty thanks to the U.S. Senate for passing the budget resolution that contemplated this issue and this…”

“I want to say hearty thanks to the U.S. Senate for passing the budget resolution that contemplated this issue and this problem and this solution. Normally, in years past on agriculture emergencies, we have waited until the end of the year and gotten into an enormous argument as to how much emergency relief is enough emergency relief. This year we decided, in the budget resolution, with the help of some experts and the committee, to decide that we would modify the resolution that applies to this year and provide $5.5 billion in this year's budget to be spent by the authorizing committee from a reserve fund set up by the Budget Committee and $1.6 billion for next year, all of which could be used for emergency purposes by the authorizing committee if they chose. They have chosen to follow that to the letter: $5.5 billion this year and $1.6 billion next year. We have provided in advance a pretty good package, as my colleagues have said, on emergency relief.”