Political Quotes

“I rise today in joining the Secretary of Agriculture in applauding the decision that was reached by our U.S. Trade Representative this morning on the 301 investigation into the Canadian Wheat Board and on durum wheat. I think Minnesota is a producer of durum, as we are in the Dakotas and in Montana. In her statement--and I associate with her words this morning--we support the immediate actions outlined in this decision, which will help us to move forward, removing the longstanding barrier in U.S.-Canadian relations. We are committed to working with the USTR in our country and, of course, with the WTO, and those trade negotiations should produce discipline which will lead to fundamental reform. As you well know, that has been a bone of contention among grain producers in this country and, of course, with this Government and its relationship with Canada. This morning, I heard a statement from a colleague who quoted a news article from a western producer in Canada, and by a secondhand source, that claimed the Secretary of Agriculture urged her Canadian counterpart to lobby Congress regarding the farm bill. I find that very unusual. In fact, I asked the Secretary this morning about that. I picked up the phone and called the Secretary and she denied making any such statement in its entirety. She did call the Minister of Agriculture in Canada, and he apologized for misstatements of his staff.”