Max Baucus: “This amendment provides for emergency agricultural natural disaster assistance. Some might ask why I am offering this…”

“This amendment provides for emergency agricultural natural disaster assistance. Some might ask why I am offering this amendment, particularly on this bill. The answer is very simple. First of all, there is a tremendous need, a need in rural America to address drought agricultural disaster assistance. Just as there is a need in Florida because of the two hurricanes which have devastated that State, and a third potentially on its way, for agricultural disaster assistance, agricultural disasters from droughts in many parts of America are just as devastating. We don't hear about them as much because it is in the nature of a silent killer. They don't get on TV as much. It is over a period of time, for years. But the effect is just the same, if not worse, in many parts of our country. We are in America. We are an entire country. Just above the Presiding Officer is our national motto, 'e pluribus unum.' Clearly, this is something of which we should all be reminded.”