Angie Craig: “I thank the chairman publicly for the work he has done on behalf of farm legislation this year, the extensive hearings…”

“I thank the chairman publicly for the work he has done on behalf of farm legislation this year, the extensive hearings on almost all of the titles of the farm bill, working them out in a very intricate way, under some very difficult circumstances--circumstances from a Budget Committee that said to the chairman and to the Agriculture Committee that we had to find substantial savings in agricultural appropriations. I say that, Mr. President, in light of what we have done since 1986. Since 1986, direct payment to production agriculture in this country from Government programs has been reduced by this Congress by 60 percent. So we have continually, over the period of now a decade, progressively reduced the amount of money on a program-by-program basis that was going to production agriculture for one reason or another. In almost all instances, I have agreed with that and voted for it. I think agriculture today is stronger because of it, because they have progressively moved to farm to the market instead of to the program.”