Byron Dorgan: “we are on the supplemental appropriations bill, I understand. I heard the presentations by the chairman of the…”

“we are on the supplemental appropriations bill, I understand. I heard the presentations by the chairman of the Appropriations Committee and the ranking member earlier today. I would be remiss if I didn't first compliment both of them. This is not an easy job. It is difficult putting together legislation such as this and bringing it to the floor of the Senate. I compliment Senator Cochran and Senator Byrd for their diligent work. I know that others will speak at some length about various pieces of this bill. I know the bill itself is controversial. I know there will be amendments perhaps to strip provisions that are in the bill. I wish to speak specifically about legislation that I added, along with Senator Burns and others on the Appropriations Committee, dealing with agricultural disasters. I wish to do that because I think there is a feeling by some that somehow this extra money that is a part of this legislation to try to respond to agricultural disasters or disasters faced by family farmers is something called pork, as some would put it, or is unnecessary, is extraneous, is unworthy. I wish to talk about that. There is not a lot of talk on the floor of the Senate about family farming because I think, with the exception of perhaps one person here, we are not farmers. We don't get up in the morning on the farm. We don't milk cows in the morning. We don't check the cattle at night. We are Senators. We work here on the floor of the Senate.…”