Political Quotes

“I rise today to talk a few moments on the farm bill conference report that is before the Senate. Last year, when the farm bill process began, farmers came to me representing all types of commodities enthusiastically supporting the continuation of the present programs which provided a safety net for farmers in times of disaster or low market prices. They told me the programs were working well, and, particularly in the South, these programs had worked exceptionally and extremely well, specifically in regard to cotton. However, there was substantial Republican opposition to the continuation of such programs, even within budgetary limits. Therefore, the Republicans pushed the Agricultural Market Transition Act of 1996, formerly known as the freedom to farm bill, in which the farm program payments were decoupled and all Government programs would ultimately be phased out at the end of 7 years. In order to gain producers' support for a farm program phaseout, the Republicans advocated fixed, but declining, payments regardless of market prices. The program that they advocated guaranteed payments to farmers whether they needed them or not. This program, in my opinion, constituted a welfare program.”