Chuck Grassley: “I rise to support the Harkin amendment. I had filed an amendment virtually identical to this, that I will place in the…”

“I rise to support the Harkin amendment. I had filed an amendment virtually identical to this, that I will place in the Record. Due to the unanimous-consent agreement reached last night between the 2 leaders, the Republicans could offer only 5 amendments, while the Democrats are able to offer 10. Because of this limitation, I was not able to offer the amendment, so I will lend my support to the Harkin amendment. The Harkin amendment will lower the caps to determine what livestock producers are eligible for cost-share funds under the new Environmental Quality Incentive Program. Mr. President, it is good public policy to assist farmers in complying with environmental regulations; the environment benefits, the public benefits, and agriculture benefits. Farmers who grow corn, soybeans, cotton, wheat, and many other crops have for many years received cost-share funds to implement environmental measures. So, I approve of extending this assistance to livestock producers. However, there needs to be limits on what producers can receive USDA funds.”