Jeb Hensarling: “I rise tonight as one who typically comes to this floor to champion the cause of fiscal conservatism. But tonight…”

“I rise tonight as one who typically comes to this floor to champion the cause of fiscal conservatism. But tonight, perhaps more importantly, I come here as the grandson of a farmer. I come here as the son of a farmer. I come here as one who grew up working on the family farm. I have looked at the work of Mr. Flake and Mr. Kind, and I believe that this amendment is the one that is best for agriculture, and I think it is the one that is best for taxpayers. I don't like everything in this amendment. There is a lot I don't like about it. But I have got to ask myself, does it take me in a direction I want to go or does it take me in a direction I don't want to go? I think this work takes me in the direction I want to go, because it provides real reform. If you have got a program that's costing taxpayers $20 billion a year, maybe you need some reform. If 10 percent of the recipients are receiving 33 percent of the egg, maybe you need some reform. If most of the subsidies are going to commercial farmers that have average incomes above $200,000, maybe you need some real reform. Very importantly, for the agriculture producers in the Fifth District of Texas, our future is in exports. We want to export good Texas beef, and I'm afraid the committee bill is going to hurt trade. It will hurt trade. We need to support this alternative.”