Dick Lugar: “I stress again that the amendment is identical to President Bush's budget proposal. I think all Senators appreciate…”

“I stress again that the amendment is identical to President Bush's budget proposal. I think all Senators appreciate that. I want to establish that again. Secondly, I want to establish that the amendment does not affect in any way a producer's eligibility for conservation programs. It applies only to commodity programs and crop insurance. I point out that the land which exists in the Conservation Reserve Program would be eligible, and the answer is, yes, CRP land specifically is exempted from the commodity programs and crop insurance. These questions have been raised because they are material to the savings in the bill that are now to be applied for this important food stamp reform. Having said that, I commend the amendment again to Senators, and I am hopeful we will have a strong vote in support.”