Steve Watkins: “in my 16 years of service in the United States Congress, I have never spoken twice one day after the other on the floor…”

“in my 16 years of service in the United States Congress, I have never spoken twice one day after the other on the floor of the House. I rise to speak today because of the crisis of the American farmer and rancher. It is one that is caused by the closing of markets in Asia, where we normally export 45 percent of our agriculture exports. We find also that the European Union is subsidizing their internal as well as their external markets by some 75 percent of their budget. Freedom to farm should mean also freedom to the markets. Today we have also another crisis, and that is the most severe drought since the dust bowl days or 1934 and unless the weather changes the worst drought in the history of our country come September or come October. We have a survival problem on the farm. I urge President Clinton, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, and this Congress to provide additional emergency drought relief funds for feed and hay assistance. I am delighted to be here supportive of this sense of the Congress, because for 20 months, since I have been back in Congress, I have pounded the table, I have talked about the unfair trade barrier of growth hormones with the European Union. They have literally stopped the market of United States beef and, think about the crisis. Our cattle people having to go to market because they do not have grass, hay or feed. The drought has wiped them out. They have to sell large numbers cheap on the domestic market.”