Watson Coleman: “I rise to speak about the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act which, as the venerable and esteemed Senator from…”

“I rise to speak about the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act which, as the venerable and esteemed Senator from West Virginia stated, provides critical funding for America's troops, money for hurricane recovery, money for mine safety, while staying within the $94.5 billion funding level called for by the President. I am going to support this package. I support our troops. I applaud their efforts. I am a strong proponent of fiscal responsibility, and I understand and recognize the tough choices that needed to be made in order to put this supplemental together. But with that said, a large component of this package is disaster assistance. When it comes to helping our fellow Americans through a crisis, we need to assist all with equal zeal. The fact is, while this bill offers some Americans a helping hand, it gives some others a cold shoulder. While this bill provides needed funding for agricultural disaster assistance in the gulf to producers affected by the hurricanes, it will not send a dime to Minnesota's farmers struggling to survive their own natural disaster. The Senate bill contained that helping hand. Chairman Cochran fought for--and has fought a number of times, by the way. And I thank the chairman for all the work he has done and all the work he has done on the supplemental and I certainly thank him for his sensitivity to the needs of Minnesota producers.…”