Max Baucus: “I think finally we are here. Finally we will pass agricultural disaster assistance which is so needed by many farmers…”

“I think finally we are here. Finally we will pass agricultural disaster assistance which is so needed by many farmers and ranchers throughout our country. The amendment now pending is the amendment I offered which got 69 votes just 200 days ago. It has been modified. My colleague, Senator Burns, and I have modified the amendment so it applies to years 2001 and 2002--that is, to crop losses and livestock losses in both those years--whereas the earlier amendment I offered covered losses only in the year 2001. This has been a devastating year, in addition to 2001 being a devastating year. Mother Nature works in strange ways. Some parts of America are hit in some years rather than others. It doesn't rain in some parts of our country in some years, whereas it does in others. That is true within States. Last year was worse for my State of Montana, and this year is a little bit better, but not a lot. For Montana, it is not just 2 years of drought, it is successive years of drought. It is 4 or more years depending upon where you are located in my State.”