Kent Conrad: “I believe these groups have been flimflammed. I do not know a nice way to say it. I don't think they understand how the…”

“I believe these groups have been flimflammed. I do not know a nice way to say it. I don't think they understand how the budget process works--for them to be realigned on the representation from the administration about money that is going to be available in the next budget resolution. The administration doesn't have any role in writing the next budget resolution. That is written in the House of Representatives and the Senate. The administration has absolutely nothing to do with writing the budget resolution. That is what makes the resources available next year. Just a little bit of commonsense analysis would tell you that the same amount of money is not going to be available next year. Receipts are going down. Expenses are going up. That means there will be less money available. When a budget resolution is written next year, there will not be anywhere close to this amount of money available for writing a farm bill. That puts all of the people who we represent in jeopardy. That puts their financial lives on the line. For the farm organizations that are supposed to represent these very people to send up a letter such as this tells me one of two things: No. 1, either they have been totally hoodwinked about the budget circumstances we face next year, or, No. 2, they aren't thinking very carefully about who they have a responsibility to represent. No. 3, perhaps they have just not done their homework and don't know the circumstances that we will be facing.”