Political Quotes

“Despite my favorable vote, I wish to express my deep concerns about the form and level of spending included in this amendment. The Grassley amendment will add an additional $63 billion in mandatory spending to agricultural programs over ten years, which is assumed to be paid from projected budget surpluses. This is above the amount proposed by my Republican colleagues on the budget committee. By designating the extra $63 billion as mandatory spending, much of this funding will be targeted toward farm subsidy programs. The needs of American family farmers are not being ignored. Congress is in the process of drafting a new Farm bill to reauthorize USDA programs, which many would view as the appropriate vehicle to tackle necessary reform and address farm crises. In the past few years, Congress has approved more than $20 billion in emergency farm aid for crop losses and disaster assistance.”