Tom Harkin

The reason it is is because if we put an assessment, I say to the Senator from Kentucky--if we put an assessment on the tobacco companies to pay into this, that assessment they can deduct from their taxes. They deduct it from their taxes…

This amendment doesn't start anything new. It takes an existing program at the FDA and expends the money. That is what an appropriations bill does. We are not legislating on an appropriations bill. There is no legislation here, I say to my…

I want to try to clear it up, if I can, and say to my colleague from Kentucky that we do not reopen the tobacco program.

I acknowledge the doubts the Chairman has about the accuracy of the WIC budget request. Also, as the Chairman knows, I share his strong support for the School Lunch Program and for supplying commodities to it. I do have a letter from…

You are right about E. coli. I counted up in June of this year, this last month, and we had six E. coli outbreaks of food poisoning in this country, of a strain of E. coli that didn't exist 20 years ago. It wasn't there. And now it is…

I want to inquire of the chairman--obviously it is well within his right to move to table--why can't we have an up-or-down vote?

The 1996 farm bill is not the Ten Commandments. It was not written in stone for all time. We have a crisis impending on us in agriculture. The bottom is falling out. Prices are going down every day. Are we so stuck in our ways here, are we…

My amendment cuts the tax on subsidized student loans by 25 percent--from 4 percent to 3 percent. So it puts more actual money into the pockets of students so they can buy textbooks. It also continues to pay guaranty agencies over the next…

Not only do they get the 16-percent guarantee, they get a $7.5 billion subsidy from the taxpayers of this country. So I think the Senator is absolutely right. If they want to be private sector, let's put it out for bid. Some years ago, as…

Lastly, I just say to my friend from Arkansas, who now has assumed the chair, that there was some mention made that this amendment was a direct threat to the Guaranteed Loan Program and a way of tilting it toward the Direct Loan Program…

In the State of Arkansas, the Harkin amendment would continue to give $3.8 million over the next 5 years. That is hardly going insolvent.

Again, Madam President, I just want to point out, again, I do happen to have these figures available. For the State of Arkansas right now, the reserve fund is $7.9 million--$7.9 million that Arkansas has in its reserve fund. Even under my…

And I understand that. I want to make a couple points, I hope, clear, and that is, the Federal Government is the ultimate guarantor, not the guaranty agency.

I think the Senator makes a good point. As I pointed out, even with this modest cut of 25 percent, that leaves, over the next 5 years, $4.58 billion for these guaranty agencies. I haven't seen any evidence that this would be at all…

I submit to my friend from Arkansas that one of the greatest myths about the guaranteed loan program is that the agencies are the real guarantors of the loans. I think, contrary to popular belief, the Federal Government is the guarantor…

I have several letters here--one from the Secretary of Education, Richard Riley, in support of this amendment; one from the American Council on Education in support of the amendment; one from a consortium including U.S. PIRG, United States…

Those six countries purchased only about 2 percent of the total world ag imports in 1996. When India and Pakistan were added, the result was only 3.2 percent of the total world ag trade subject to U.S. sanctions. That is simply not enough…

I do not like the way the budget priorities shortchange our veterans' medical benefits. But, again, I also say to my friend, I really believe in what the Vietnam Veterans of America said in their letter, that veterans' medical benefits…

There are priorities to be met and, quite frankly, in this $271 billion defense budget, it is my feeling--and I looked at it, I am on Defense Appropriations, I have looked at it and I, quite frankly, believe that the Secretary could find…

However, I think the Secretary would look at how the Senate spoke and how the Congress spoke on this to decide what to do. Obviously, if the Senate voted to do this and it was a strong vote, then I think he would pay attention to it, he or…

I want Members to know right now we had a vote here, 92-8, on that bill to keep the food stamps for immigrants, to keep the crop insurance and the agriculture research altogether. In fact, there was a 77-23 vote on a Gramm of Texas motion…

Again, I want to make it clear I am very supportive of the Hutchinson amendment. I believe it is a good amendment. This is a friendly amendment--just to add the word ``child.'' In other words, under ``forced and indentured labor'' to…

It does not come out of defense. It just authorizes the Department of Treasury to allocate $2 million.

Again I thank all Senators for their strong vote in support of this legislation. Hopefully now we can get it to the President, and get his signature, and again reassure farmers all over the country that they will be able to renew their…

I thank my colleague and compliment him on his leadership on this bill and all aspects of the bill, on research on crop insurance and food stamps. I listened with some amusement to my friend and colleague from Texas talking about this…