David Minge

for the past 23 years, Minnesota Farm Service Agency borrowers have had access to a farm planning and analysis system known as FINPACK. The software is a comprehensive system that is of great benefit to producers, their lenders, and to the…

I am seeking to develop report language that directs the Farm Service Agency to develop an effective interface between FINPACK and the Farm and Home Plan presently used by the Farm Service Agency. It is my understanding that the generic…

Dear Chairman Skeen: I have received your written opposition to the proposed amendment to allow the usage of FINPACK by Minnesota FSA offices. We have researched this issue, and wish to respond to those points as follows: 1. ``FSA is only…

I certainly share with my colleague from California who introduced this amendment a level of discomfort with the market promotion program, the way it was structured several years ago. But the fact of the matter is the program has been…

I think many of us have rejoiced in the robust economy we have had here in the United States, but the sad fact is that farmers in America are not sharing in this robust economy. Instead, they are facing unprecedented low prices if you…

I urge that we move on to other portions of this bill and recognize that the sugar program has been authorized by Congress. It is a program that is scheduled to continue to the year 2003.

The Fairness Caucus is committed to ending the regional disparities that exist with respect to Medicare today. The fact that seniors in some parts of the country are already receiving prescription drugs as a part of Medicare, at no premium…

Mr. Chairman, this proposal that we are considering this afternoon gives us in the House of Representatives an opportunity to move ahead with a very ticklish task of developing a budget and trying to improve the rigors of the budget…

we are embarked on a very important exercise this week, the adoption of the House budget resolution. I think that it is well that we keep in mind the state of our Nation's economy and the state of the Nation's debt as we proceed. First…

Maybe before the gentlewoman gets into any of the specifics there, we could just give some of the numbers actually on this debt reduction. The Blue Dog proposal which we have been talking about over 5 years would reduce the national debt…

this evening I wish to address this body with respect to the problem of our Nation's debt and how we responsibly handle this debt in a time of budget surpluses. We are indeed fortunate as Americans to have the robust economy that we have…

Here is a graphic depiction of the type of interest rate reduction that Chairman Greenspan has said is realistic if we make a substantial reduction in the outstanding Federal debt. On a home mortgage, we could reasonably expect interest…

I really appreciate the insights of the gentleman on this. I think it is helpful to those of us in Congress. It certainly, I hope, is helpful to the staff and everyone else that we work with. It is interesting, there are several groups, my…

If my colleague would allow me to interrupt for a moment, he referred to the energy costs and tax cuts. I had a very interesting experience just this last week. I visited a small trucking company, and the founder of the trucking company…

Mr. Speaker, I join in the parade of Members who support this legislation. Previously, this proposal to lift the earnings limit has been used as a partisan Trojan horse. It included tax cuts that were controversial, and it would have…

I would also like to report that I am familiar with the Indian tribe that is involved here, the Lower Sioux community. It is in my congressional district. It is a relatively small Indian community, Native American community; but I would…

Mr. Speaker, the debate this morning is one which is seductive. It is seductive in the sense that it is very difficult to determine what the real issue is. I would submit that the real issue is not whether the marriage tax penalty ought to…

It has been calculated that if we can reduce the publicly held debt from $3.7 trillion down to $1.3 trillion, which is possible if we show the type of discipline we have been talking about, that interest rates on homes are projected to…

I would like to start out by echoing the comments of our colleagues from Texas in terms of the timing. I serve on the Committee on the Budget. We do not yet have even the beginnings of a budget resolution, and that is the primary task of…

we have returned here in the year 2000 to begin our work as the U.S. House of Representatives. One of the first bills that we will take up will come on, I expect, February 14. The purpose of this is to address a problem which has been a…

it appears that the debate of the day is over the marriage tax penalty, and we have had a very attractive picture of a young couple at their wedding and an indication of what it costs that young couple. I do not think there is any real…

That is exactly my point. We are corrupting the process here to be able to boast that we have done something that has not quite been achieved. I think that is one tragedy. The second is, we have not even talked here in our discussion about…

Well, I thank my colleague, and I would just like to comment for the benefit of our colleagues on this problem with CBO scoring. I think that it is sort of easy to forget that we established the Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, in…

I have worked on a bipartisan basis over the last 4 years with my colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) in what is called the Porkbuster Caucus. We have tried to focus on waste, fraud, and abuse, especially on pork barrel…