Victor Fazio: “I rise in support of H.R. 2160, the Agriculture appropriations bill for fiscal year 1998. First, I need to thank my…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 2160, the Agriculture appropriations bill for fiscal year 1998. First, I need to thank my chairman, Joe Skeen, and the ranking Democrat, Marcy Kaptur, for their work and assistance this year. This is my first full year on the subcommittee, and I have enjoyed participating in our budget oversight hearings and offering a much-needed California perspective. The work of our subcommittee was nearly doubled this spring because of our consideration of the supplemental appropriations bill. I want to commend Joe Skeen in particular for his inclusive manner during those proceedings--he included Jim Walsh and me in his deliberations on the agriculture components of that bill because we were conferees on the bill representing other subcommittees, and that spirit is evident throughout this bill as well. H.R. 2160 is not a perfect bill. In fact, it continues an alarming trend in providing the absolute minimum resources to USDA to run the Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the rural development agencies and other important agencies in order to fund some other significant initiatives.”