Dick Lugar: “this is a modest amendment. I stress ``modest.'' In the event that Senators still wish to discuss the issue, I will have…”

“this is a modest amendment. I stress ``modest.'' In the event that Senators still wish to discuss the issue, I will have another amendment following this which has a much more striking possibility for reform. Nevertheless, this is important. I am surprised at the vehemence and difficulty in the debate I have heard thus far. I say this after trying to determine, at least in my State, what the implication will be from the amendment. I went, as many have, to the Environmental Working Group Web site and reviewed a printout of the last 5 years, 1996 to 2000, and who in Indiana might even be slightly affected by this. The Web site points out there were 98,835 recipients of farm subsidies in Indiana during that period of time. There are 6, out of 98,000, who would be affected by this amendment. Our State is not inconsequential in agriculture. As a matter of fact, with the number of farmers we have, it does not rank, as it turns out, in the top six States that receive farm subsidies, but we receive quite a bit. To find there are only 6 entities that could slightly be affected by this seems to me to make my point because 98,000-plus others would not be affected. This is not unique to the State of Indiana.”