Thomas J. Vilsack

I mean our heart goes out. As a former governor, I have toured many tornado damaged sites, and it is absolutely devastating to people.

the goal of this budget, frankly, is to invest in a stronger America, and to expand our middle class

It is an outrage--I mean, to me, it is an outrageous process because it comes as a tremendous surprise.

investments in research that create new opportunities; new income opportunities, is a way of maintaining those small- and mid-sized farming operations

An inclusive agriculture and rural life must be part of a shift to a bottom-up, middle-out system.

I would say, frankly, that as a Nation we have underfunded research in agriculture for far too long.

There is nothing more foundational to a country's security and stability than its food supply.

If you want to create distrust in government, continue this process.

I hope that that factor is taken into consideration, given the importance of this Department

Well, Senator, it absolutely is.

This is a great question, and I appreciate you raising it.

we have had a record year in farm income in the last 2 years; however, that bounty has not been fully shared by all farmers