Ed Royce: “I realize that this year's agricultural appropriations bill is below last year's level, and I applaud the chairman for…”

“I realize that this year's agricultural appropriations bill is below last year's level, and I applaud the chairman for his efforts on that. However, even more reductions can be made in this bill, and should be made, because, frankly, Congress should continue to cut government waste. Just a few weeks ago, the President signed into law a $15.3 billion crop insurance and emergency farm package. That measure marks the third big bill out of the agricultural economy in the last 3 years. Now, this emergency bill amounts to a mini-farm bill affecting most divisions of the agricultural department and sprinkling pet programs to special interest groups. In effect, Congress has been passing more than one agricultural appropriations bill each year; we have been passing two. In fiscal year 1999, Congress passed $6.6 billion in supplemental assistance. So far in fiscal year 2000, Congress has passed four different measures amounting to $15 billion in emergency agricultural spending, and this includes the $210 million of emergency spending attached to the military construction supplemental passed by this House just before the July 4th recess. Not even into fiscal year 2001 yet, Congress has already passed $1.6 billion in emergency funding. Mr. Chairman, Congress cannot afford to past two appropriations bills for agriculture each and every year.”