Jay Dickey: “I want to say quickly that I agree with what the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) says to a very large degree.…”

“I want to say quickly that I agree with what the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) says to a very large degree. I have been involved in this, as I said, since 1993. I have heard the complaints straight on. I have not known how to handle them. It has been only since 1995 that I have been on the Committee on Appropriations. I will say that I have voted for everything they have mentioned. I voted for 2501, I voted for the statute of limitations, I voted for every other measure in the appropriations subcommittee, every one, and not one time has any member of the Black Caucus come to my office and asked me to help in any way. I want my colleagues all to know that I am available. If it is necessary for me to come to the Black Caucus, like I have tried to do on this resolution to ask my colleagues to help on this, I will come. We have to find a solution. My problem is it looks like there is some kind of qualification as to who can help the black farmers in the minds of the opposition to this and who cannot. I understand that I am a Republican and I am a white person, but I am also concerned and I have been active, as this list shows, in trying to be an advocate for the black farmers in their dilemma. I have said before, and I will say it again, that it is not something that we can say we are going to handle just with this lawsuit and settling it. We have to move forward and get complete cooperation.”