Mike Conaway: “I appreciate the time. I respectfully disagree with my good colleagues, both of whom are sincere in their efforts. I…”

“I appreciate the time. I respectfully disagree with my good colleagues, both of whom are sincere in their efforts. I believe this amendment is wrong-headed. If it had been enacted last year, it would have placed $928 million in cash assistance into largely unstable regions of the world and with no clear guidelines on how the money should be spent or tracked. We saw a rampant waste of cash in Iraq when we tried to use cash to further our means there. It's a whole lot harder to steal a sack of rice with ``USA'' written on the side of it than it is to steal a sack of currency. This program is meant to help folks in need of food. There is no better producer and no cheaper producer than the American farmer. I respectfully disagree with my colleagues, and I would urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment. The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from New York is recognized for 5 minutes.”