Henry Waxman: “I am pleased to join in a bipartisan group in support of this amendment. The bill that passed through the House called…”

“I am pleased to join in a bipartisan group in support of this amendment. The bill that passed through the House called for $9.6 billion of taxpayer dollars to be used to pay those who own these quotas for tobacco, and no strings were attached to that dishing out, that handout, of $9.6 billion. They can just keep on growing tobacco. What is more, the bill favored just a few select growers. According to an analysis by the Environmental Working Group, more than two-thirds of the money would go to just 10 percent of the recipients. The bill would pay more than $1 million to only 462 individuals, corporations and estates. This amendment provides that no taxpayers' money can be used for this purpose. If our colleagues who want support for the tobacco growers want to pay for it, that is something different. But all this bill that passed the House would do is to increase the deficit. So the Flake-Van Hollen proposal before us would be to put in this appropriations bill a restriction not to enforce that bailout, buyout, handout, should it pass.”