Dusty Johnson: “I thank Senator Daschle for his leadership on this amendment and express my high regard for Senator Cochran as well. We…”

“I thank Senator Daschle for his leadership on this amendment and express my high regard for Senator Cochran as well. We now find ourselves in a circumstance where the drought has gone on for 2001 and 2002 across much of this country, including in South Dakota, and it has been devastating. There has been a $2 billion loss to South Dakota's economy alone based on numbers from South Dakota State University. There is a need for urgent relief and comprehensive relief. We had 79 votes in this body for a $6 billion package last year. Now we find ourselves in a circumstance where we are being told about fiscal constraints and yet the White House and our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are telling us they are willing to borrow $674 billion over the coming decade--$108 billion this next year--for a so-called tax relief plan, but we do not have the resources for a comprehensive $6 billion drought relief bill in rural America. If ever there was an initiative that would stimulate the economy of rural America, it is the comprehensive $6 billion amendment before us today, and it would fit very nicely within the context of the enormous stimulus initiative coming to us from the White House and from our colleagues. While I appreciate the work that has gone into the alternative bill presented by the Senator from Mississippi, it is half the money.…”