I want to know when can we expect that we are going to have the final rules promulgated?

I am just saying that the law that we passed, signed by the President, allows funding for CSP at the $3.773 billion level.

All I am asking, and I am going to get into the rules here in a little bit... will it be based upon the full $3.773 billion?

I am just saying that the law that we passed, signed by the President, allows funding for CSP at the $3.773 billion level.

I think my remarks are probably more applicable to OMB.

Correct me if I am wrong, Jim, but I think the time line was to try to get the final rule sometime towards the end of the summer.

That was redundant.

I hope we do not do that.

I am working to get the cap removed, as you know.

The principle that we are operating under is an open-ended mandatory program.

I do not think we can do that.

If you had some----

You cannot do that. So you are proposing to do that.

The American people would be shocked to learn that the USDA does not have the fundamental authority to protect public health.

I have detected that the Department is interested in this. You are moving ahead, but my senses pick up that there is some hanky-panky going on at OMB that are really, Mr. Chairman, trying to misinterpret the law as we wrote the statute.

I am very disappointed about the signals that USDA and others have been sending regarding COL.

The authorizing committee would have to approve of that.

Do you agree, Madame Secretary, that the principle that we are operating under for the Conservation Security Program, the principle is written in statute?