Bill Clinton: “As the majority leader well knows, I am new to this body and I think what we have just seen raises, in my mind, serious…”

“As the majority leader well knows, I am new to this body and I think what we have just seen raises, in my mind, serious questions about what it is we are trying to accomplish for the people of our States and our country. As I understand the response of the distinguished Senator from Idaho, the delay is because somebody 'unnamed' delayed something last year. That, to me, is a strikingly inadequate explanation for a delay that is holding up our efforts to help our oldest industry and our newest industry. With the fact that New York's largest economic sector is agriculture, which most people outside New York would have no idea of, I have a great interest in the Agriculture supplemental bill because we have some aid in there for farmers who are following in the tradition of those having farmed in New York for more than 400 years. Our apple farmers are on the brink of extinction if they do not get some emergency help. We had hail last year that destroyed the crop in the Mid-Hudson River Valley; it took out orchards in the north country. So this is not any geographic issue. This is a national issue that has to be addressed. At the same time, in New York, we have some of the cutting edge high-tech industries that are begging for the kind of direction the Export Administration Act will give them, the certainty about what they can and cannot export, whether we can be competitive globally. Both of these important pieces of legislation have to be addressed in the next week.”