Tom Latham: “I rise in support of this Fiscal Year 2004 Agriculture Funding measure because it represents a good product under…”

“I rise in support of this Fiscal Year 2004 Agriculture Funding measure because it represents a good product under difficult circumstances. As we all know, this bill is not perfect--in large part because the allocation for Fiscal Year 2004 is considerably less than last year--some $800 million, in fact. Because of the drop-off between the FY-03 allocation and the one for 04, the committee has to make difficult choices in order to accommodate the various sectors that are funded in the bill. While we are going to hear today that this bill short changes many areas, we should consider that the bill has many positives because it does. Even with reduced resources, many important programs are well-funded. For example, funding for the FDA's generic drug program is increased, as is FDA funding for food safety. The bill includes monies to implement the ``Better Pharmaceuticals for Children Act''. This bill also includes funding for valuable agriculture research that is currently carried out at major research centers.”