David Minge: “I certainly count myself among those in this body that fully support the WIC Program. I think that it ought to be funded…”

“I certainly count myself among those in this body that fully support the WIC Program. I think that it ought to be funded so that it can operate and provide services and food to all that meet eligibility requirements. That, I do not think, is what is at issue here this morning. We are talking about a zero sum game. We are trying to increase the funding of one program at the expense of another. Of course it sounds more attractive to say we are going to feed infants and pregnant women at the expense of providing insurance agents with commissions. But I submit that is not really the issue. The issue is what type of a crop disaster program do we wish to have. Do we wish to have one that is based on an insurance principle or do we want ad hoc disaster payments? In the past we have paid out billions of dollars in some years in ad hoc disaster payments to farmers for crop losses. With an insurance-based program, the farmers are purchasing insurance. In order to make that program effective we have to have agents selling the insurance, and this program is essential to maintain that commission program and those agents.”