Thomas Daschle: “Under the Cochran amendment, in disaster counties, counties declared disaster, every producer is eligible regardless of…”

“Under the Cochran amendment, in disaster counties, counties declared disaster, every producer is eligible regardless of loss. In my State, there are counties that were declared disaster that had pockets where they had all the rain they needed, where there are livestock producers who really don't need any assistance. What we are doing is taking away from those who need assistance to provide resources to those who don't need it by not differentiating, by not having some qualification, by not saying they have to meet this threshold. What our amendment says is, they have to have incurred at least a 35-percent loss to be eligible for benefits, even in those counties declared disaster. There is no discretion in that regard in the Cochran amendment.”