Thomas Daschle: “this Sunday will mark the 10th anniversary of Farm Aid. This remarkable organization, born of the farm crisis of the…”

“this Sunday will mark the 10th anniversary of Farm Aid. This remarkable organization, born of the farm crisis of the 1980's, has stood on the front lines with America's family farmers as farming, ranching and the rural way of life have been under attack. Through the vision and effort of founders Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp, millions of dollars have been raised to assist farm families beset by disaster, fund legal assistance programs for rural citizens and increase national and international awareness of the plight of America's family farmer. At the same time we are celebrating the achievements of Farm Aid, the Republican-controlled Congress is making the deepest cuts to farm programs in history--at the same time they are funding tax breaks for the wealthiest citizens in the country. Make no mistake, a workable farm program cannot be crafted under a mandate to cut $13.4 billion from farm programs. This legislation could result in a farm crisis far worse than the one that gave birth to Farm Aid. The 1995 farm bill is far too important to be sacrificed this way. That's why several of my colleagues have joined me in introducing the Farm Security Act, an alternative way to reform farm programs and secure a safety net for our farmers. We have developed a commodity support proposal that would allow market-based income support, target benefits to our smaller producers, and simplify programs. Unlike the Republican plan, our plan offers real reform.”