Tom Harkin: “I believe the $5.5 billion passed by the House is inadequate. I am not just saying that. Read the letters I have had…”

“I believe the $5.5 billion passed by the House is inadequate. I am not just saying that. Read the letters I have had printed today from the American Farm Bureau, the National Wheat Growers, the National Corn Growers, the National Soybean Association, and on and on and on. Every one of them is saying it is inadequate; that we have to provide the same payments to our farmers this year as we did last year. I have heard talk that the markets have improved. That is not true. The livestock sector has gone up a little bit; that is, the livestock sector but not the crop sector. We hear the aggregate income has gone up. Mr. President, say we are in a room of 10 people and we are talking about prescription drug benefits for the elderly. We have 10 people in the room and you put Bill Gates in the room. All of a sudden you say the aggregate income in the room is $1 billion per person so why do you need benefits under Social Security? That is what they are saying.”