Denny Rehberg: “it has been a tough week. But as we wind down this congressional session, I come to this floor to make one more plea on…”

“it has been a tough week. But as we wind down this congressional session, I come to this floor to make one more plea on behalf of our Nation's farmers and ranchers. Producers in this country have suffered through multiple years of drought, causing many to go out of business and others to cut severely into the equity they have built for generations. My message today is simple: Before we leave town, we must do the right thing for farmers. It is not too late. Members of this House, let us agree that this farm country drought is a natural disaster. And let us also agree to compensate those hard-working farmers for their economic losses in the same way we would compensate producers who suffer from the devastation of a Florida hurricane or the ravages of a Mississippi flood. There is no difference. Let us address this crisis before we adjourn by passing a meaningful agriculture disaster assistance package for 2001 and 2002.”