Max Baucus: “Farmers across America strongly support additional aid to our military to protect our national security. That is a…”

“Farmers across America strongly support additional aid to our military to protect our national security. That is a given. It is absolute, automatic. But there are also farmers who have suffered tremendous losses. I ask my good friend from Indiana to visit, at least Montana and he will see thousands of square miles of dust. That is a disaster. There are no combines, nothing. I have walked through those fields. It happens in other parts of the country, too, whether it is from storms or floods or pest diseases. The Senator's problem is with the farm bill; it is not with disaster assistance payments. We are now focused and voting on a disaster assistance payment. That is entirely separate from the farm bill. So I urge my colleagues to step up and do what is right and support the farmers who are facing these emergencies. I tell you, they are in dire circumstances. We are losing people in our State of Montana. We are a special State, granted. We do not have a lot of other industries. But other farmers in other States are also facing the same problems, but sometimes from different kinds of disasters, not necessarily always from a drought. I must say to my good friend, 50, 75, 80 percent of the States in this country are suffering from a drought, let alone other disasters. I urge my colleagues to just give farmers a chance.”