Major Owens: “there have been some loud cries for special prosecutors and special investigations and hearings by Congress, and I am…”

“there have been some loud cries for special prosecutors and special investigations and hearings by Congress, and I am all in favor of that, whenever large amounts of money are involved. But let us not just have these diversionary investigations. Let us really investigate where the big money is. I call to the attention of my colleagues, and to the attention of all the taxpayers in America, the front page of the January 28 issue of the Washington Post. The Washington Post exposes the welfare kings in the farm industry. It talks about the Farmers Home Administration, which, in the past 5 years, the FmHA has written off as uncollectible $11.5 billion in loans. I did not say ``million,'' I said $11.5 billion in loans. But the agency is not finished giving away money yet. It has another $5 billion in loans and bad debts that it intends to give away. That is our taxpayers' money, given away to people who call themselves farmers. Many of them are not farmers at all. They are millionaires. One has a net worth of $121 million. George W. Nickel, Jr., has $17.6 million in delinquent loans. there are others. Warren G. Carter, overdue on $13 million in loans; Bill Restefano, overdue $1.2 million in back payments; $16.5 billion already given away of taxpayer money to the welfare kings of America.”