William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry: “in a bill this huge, there are obviously a number of good provisions and a number of provisions that are not so good.…”

“in a bill this huge, there are obviously a number of good provisions and a number of provisions that are not so good. Each of us is called to weigh the good and the bad and to render our best judgment on the whole. While this bill does continue funding for a number of important government programs, I am particularly interested in the assistance to farmers and ranchers hit hard by the worst year for agriculture in my lifetime. My district has been devastated by the most severe drought in 103 years. Those who did produce a crop found that they were offered extremely low prices while their costs of production only continue to rise. It is essential that we try to do something to offset the effects of drought and a world market which is neither free nor fair. The disaster assistance, market loss assistance, and tax provisions will be a significant help to producers in my district. I am also very concerned about the state of our defenses, and the many years of real cuts in spending on our military. There are some additional resources for defense in this bill, and those are badly needed. The additional push for missile defense and the extra resources to compensate for readiness shortfalls are essential. LIkewise, it is better to appropriate additional funds for the Bosnia operation than it would be to further reduce our readiness and modernization to pay for it.”