Pat Roberts

The farmer would never put the seed in the ground if he or she was not an optimist.

This is simply not right and I appreciate your coming.

How can the American public be sure that your agency is protecting scientific integrity through a risk-based approach rather than a precautionary stance to regulate dust, water, pesticides, chemicals?

It is a very worrisome thing about a chilling effect on people in any farm organization willing to talk about these things.

could there not be some yardstick that we would all agree on and say, okay, from a stability standpoint instead of changing the rules every decade

I say I am an us-guys. I am not a you-guy.

Is there any sort of cost benefit yardstick that all agencies should sort of agree on, and say, look, this is not the old testament. This is the new testament with all of the scientific means that we have today in a parts per trillion…

I think we have one heck of a problem on our hands or a challenge on our hands.

I think you used to call it rural fugitive dust.

We have to export half of our wheat acres, one-third of all planted acres.

I hope, in his meetings with David Cameron, that that really comes to fruition.

I know the Chairman and the Ranking Member, all of us here, will back you up in any kind of forceful leadership that you want.

Thank you, Madam Chairman, and the Ranking Member Chambliss, who just returned, for calling this hearing to focus on our rural communities.

Well, I know you get the same question as I do, and I have difficulty trying to explain it.

I just worry, both from the lending standpoint and the producers' standpoint, we are going to be in a lot of trouble.

Well, name the program here and now. You know, go get 'em. You are on, man.

I think that you have shown again that you are a true champion for all farmers, all of agriculture, and I truly appreciate it.

I want to make absolutely sure we do not repeat that, and we take all of the claims and concerns seriously.

There is a temptation, I think, on the part of some members in this chamber to make the Senate more like the House.

I am currently in my third term as a Senator.

The majority filled the tree a total of 36 times, averaging a little over three per Congress.

That is not the way to run the government.

If there was ever a person who defended the filibuster, it was Robert C. Byrd.

This is the fifth hearing this Committee has held on the filibuster and I think, as you indicated, we are going to have a sixth hearing.

we either had to hang together or hang separately.