Political Quotes

“I rise to engage in a colloquy with my friend from California (Mr. Farr) about cuts in this legislation. As I have been analyzing the legislation coming before us, Mr. Farr, it appears that the legislation, if approved in the form that is before us, would have a really devastating impact upon American farmers, families, and the environment. The legislation before us, as I understand it, cuts nearly $1 billion from the five main conservation programs, conservation programs that put money directly in the pockets of family farmers. Over the last 5 years, these programs have been so popular that the list of farmers who want to participate greatly outweighs the availability. Both the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program have twice as many applicants as they can serve. And the Wetlands Reserve Program and the Grasslands Reserve Program combined have over 1 million acres waiting to apply. These are not programs that are underutilized or ineffective. They appear to be widely popular and provide a direct benefit to America's farmers and ranchers. These would appear to be exactly the type of programs we should be supporting. They provide support for family farms and producers who are doing exactly the right thing, ensuring that we use precious tax dollars not only to support farmers and ranchers but to ensure clean water, clean air, and fertile productive soil.…”