William Tauzin: “If we want to look at something, look at how often we bemoan the fact that we are so dependent upon an oil cartel to…”

“If we want to look at something, look at how often we bemoan the fact that we are so dependent upon an oil cartel to supply 60 percent of the oil that is critical to this Nation's energy supplies. Then I want us to think about the fact that the international sugar cartel is a lot smaller than the international oil cartel, much smaller. This amendment plays right into their hands. This amendment drives further farmers out of business in Louisiana and across this country and makes room for the foreign cartel to dump its cheap sugar into America. When do they do it? They do it after they have sold all the sugar they can sell and they dump what is left, the surplus, at below cost rates into this country to kill off our farmers. What happens as a result? Our farmers are gone in Louisiana. My dad drove a cane truck. I know them very intimately. I know these small farmers and how hard they work. They are out of business and all of a sudden we are dependent now, not just for oil, but we are dependent for sugar, too, on a cartel out there. Would that not be great? This amendment by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) is particularly pernicious this year. It not only taxes the sugar farmers out of existence, but then it makes sure they will have to forfeit their sugar by taking away the program that saves us from government forfeitures. What a nasty amendment. This thing needs to be defeated.”