Tom Harkin: “I hope not to use all time because others want to speak, also. I want to take a few minutes to lay out my reasons for my…”

“I hope not to use all time because others want to speak, also. I want to take a few minutes to lay out my reasons for my vote on this conference report tomorrow. First of all, there are many aspects of the bill that I do support and which I believe should become law. I believe Senator Bennett and Senator Kohl worked very hard to get this bill through. I supported the bill as it was reported from committee and as it passed the Senate. I believe it was a good bill given the subcommittee's allocation when it passed the Senate, and I said so on the Senate floor. But, unfortunately, the conference process with the House was seriously flawed and resulted in a seriously flawed report as a result. In some instances, it is as if the House were negotiating with the administration rather than allowing the Senate any meaningful role. My greatest concern is the continued assault on the farm bill's mandatory conservation programs, particularly the Conservation Security Program. As passed by the Senate, this bill included no annual cap on CSP spending. That is as it is in the 6-year farm bill which was passed in 2002 and signed by the President: no annual cap on CSP funds. So the Congressional Budget Office's baseline estimate for CSP spending in fiscal 2006 was $331 million based upon the program's mandatory funding and no set annual spending cap, as was passed in the farm bill.…”