On the recordJune 20, 2013
The Dairy Security Act in this bill is as a result of 4 years of hard work on a bipartisan basis. {time} 1130 It's intended to provide a strong, market-based safety net that will keep dairy producers afloat while providing stable prices to our consumers. Simply put, the amendment being offered here, the Goodlatte-Scott amendment, is about American taxpayers fully paying the bill for down prices that occur in down cycles in the dairy industry. The dairy industry, especially producers, have been victims of these down cycles and the volatility in recent years because the old programs simply don't work and they encourage overproduction. At the same time, producers have been forced to deal with increased feed costs that have increased from $2 a bushel to $7 a bushel, further impacting their bottom line. The Goodlatte-Scott amendment will neither provide a safety net for producers, nor prevent the volatility in the market because of unpredictable swings. And, again, it's important to understand reform is in the bill. This amendment would put the taxpayers footing the bill for the insurance program. This amendment will continue to foster the outdated, tired dairy programs that haven't worked. In California, my home State, the Nation's leading dairy State in the Nation, we've seen over 100 bankruptcies in the last 18 months. The current program isn't good for the dairymen and -women, nor is it good for American consumers.…
