Political Quotes

“I rise regarding the Senate's passage of H.R. 2213, the House-passed Emergency Agriculture Assistance Act. There is a great need for economic assistance in farm country. There is no disagreement about that fact. There has been no disagreement that we will spend the $12.85 billion provided in the budget for agriculture in fiscal years 2001 and 2002. The question has been on when and how we will spend it. I wanted to pass an emergency bill with more emergency money than was in the House-passed bill. I was willing to work toward a compromise that met the current needs of our farmers--even if that meant spending a small portion of the fiscal year 2002 funding. I had asked for Senate action on this supplemental since before the House passed its emergency assistance package on June 26th--more than a month ago. But, time ran out. The House bill does not fund all the needs of Idaho's farmers and ranchers. It is not a perfect solution, but it is a necessary one. We now have a good start in providing short-term assistance to our producers. I hope we can build on that when we return in September. We should move quickly to a farm bill. A fair and effective national food policy that recognizes the importance of a safe, abundant, domestic supply of food.”