Byron Dorgan: “I hope the Senate will oppose this measure. The agricultural disaster program that was put in the supplemental bill is a…”

“I hope the Senate will oppose this measure. The agricultural disaster program that was put in the supplemental bill is a bipartisan piece of legislation. Senator Conrad, myself, Senator Kit Bond, Senator Dianne Feinstein--many of us worked together to put this in the legislation. It is very simple. It reaches out a helping hand to those farmers, in many cases who lost everything, to say: You are not alone. This country wants to help you during tough times. We have always--we have always--provided disaster relief on an emergency basis, except for the last several years; it has been blocked. This is the opportunity, on a bipartisan basis, for us to say to family farmers: You matter to this country. We want to help you. When you have had a weather-related disaster, we are here to help. I hope we will turn down the amendment offered by my colleague from Oklahoma.”