Political Quotes

“I yield myself 2\1/2\ minutes. I appreciate the Rules Committee having made this amendment in order. It makes important revenue-neutral changes to the EQIP program to protect the original intent of the program, to use tax dollars better to help more farmers, and to produce better results for the taxpayers. In difficult budget times, we must prioritize maximizing value and saving money. This amendment makes several changes to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to restore the 1996 language. It implements stricter payment limits to make sure we're not spending too much money on any one project. And at a time when demand for conservation funding is as much as four times greater than the supply, we can't afford to let a few huge projects crowd out available funding. This amendment also reinstates the original 1996 EQIP language which eliminated spending for factory farms. That language was included in 1996 because Members were nervous that too much of the EQIP would end up going to just a few family farm projects, and they were right. The legislation also provides additional support for farmers who want to transition to production techniques that use fewer pesticides or antibiotics. As the United States doctors and scientists become increasingly concerned about the use of nontherapeutic antibiotics in meat production, we should be doing everything we can to make it easier for farmers and ranchers to reduce their dependence on antibiotics.…”