Eva M. Clayton: “we are now in the process of shaping a budget for America for the next fiscal year. Soon, we will consider…”

“we are now in the process of shaping a budget for America for the next fiscal year. Soon, we will consider reauthorization of a farm bill for the next several years. It is my hope that we will pass a budget bill and pass a farm bill. The two bills should not be mixed. None will dispute that cuts in the budget are inevitable; all will agree that farm programs should bear a share of the cuts. But, $15 billion in reductions is not a cut, Mr. Speaker, it is a severance. $15 billion in reductions will gut the farm programs, will disrupt vital revenue sources in rural communities, and will affect the economy in severe and unintended ways. This issue transcends party and region. It is a direct hit on rural America, and it also strikes a blow against urban America. Let us pass a budget bill. Then, let us pass a farm bill, but, in our effort to stabilize the budget, we must be careful not to destabilize food production for working families who are America's consumers.”