Marcy Kaptur: “I rise today to commend our chairman, the gentleman from New Mexico, and our ranking member, the gentleman from…”

“I rise today to commend our chairman, the gentleman from New Mexico, and our ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois, for their outstanding leadership in shepherding this bill through conference. While I believe this bill provides adequate funding for agriculture programs and continues our support for American farmers which are the most productive in the world, I have serious concerns with two provisions in the conference report. First, the conference agreement includes language allowing the Secretary of Agriculture to fund all costs for agricultural equine quarantine inspection services in connection with the 1996 summer games. Mr. Speaker, what we are talking about here is using American tax dollars to pay the fees foreign countries would owe a U.S. Government agency [USDA APHIS] for inspecting horses competing in the equestrian events at the Olympic Games. Let me repeat, this conference report includes language which forgives the fees foreign countries are required to pay for quarantine costs of horses competing in the equestrian competition at the Olympics and then forces U.S. taxpayers to pay the bill.”