Judd Gregg: “no amount of smoke and mirrors here is going to obfuscate the basic fact that you can go into the marketplace--in fact…”

“no amount of smoke and mirrors here is going to obfuscate the basic fact that you can go into the marketplace--in fact, it was quoted today on CNBC--and buy sugar at 10 cents a pound on the international market, but if you go out and buy it in the United States it will cost you 20, 21, 22 cents a pound. That is because the difference goes to a few growers who have a hammerlock on the political system. And does it not cost the taxpayers money? That statement was made--it does not cost the American taxpayers money. Of course, it costs them money; $1.5 billion a year in subsidy is carried by the American consumers in order to benefit 17 cane growers who get 42 percent of the benefit, as the Senator from Nevada so aptly pointed out. The idea that we are presenting is not to eliminate the program. We are saying just do not extend it for 7 years. Do not put this outrage on the back of the American consumers for 7 years, which would cost approximately $20 billion in subsidies having to be paid by the American consumer. We are saying just hit them for 2 years, just hit them for 2 years. And then let us go back and look at the program again. We are not saying eliminate the program. We are saying just do not be greedy. Be reasonable. Give us a 2-year extension instead of a 7-year extension. But what would be wrong with eliminating the program? The idea was you would get free sugar; we are not going to be happy until we get free sugar. We do not want free sugar.”