Kent Conrad: “I regret to say I have a different view. As I look at the history over the last 3 years of the assistance bills we have…”

“I regret to say I have a different view. As I look at the history over the last 3 years of the assistance bills we have passed in the Senate for agriculture in these situations, this is a very modest bill. In fact, it is significantly less than we have passed in each of the last 3 years. The amendment offered by the Senator from Indiana is precisely what passed in the House. It is exactly the legislation that comes to us from that body. The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, the Republican chairman, has, in his written views on this bill, said it is inadequate, has pointed out that this bill would provide $1 billion less than what we have passed in the last 3 years--$1 billion less than what has been passed each of the last 3 years to assist farmers at a time of real economic hardship. And as the Republican chairman of the House Agriculture Committee pointed out, this is at a time when farmers face the lowest real prices since the Great Depression.”