William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry: “television can take us many places, but it can't make us experience the pain and hardship people feel when they're going…”

“television can take us many places, but it can't make us experience the pain and hardship people feel when they're going through difficult times. Night after night for the past several weeks, the network news shows have been filled with images from my home state of Texas and stories of how people are dealing with the drought. By now, the stories are familiar. Ground too dry for seed to take root in. Farmers having to plow under their crops. The livelihood of towns and communities literally blowing away in the wind. The drought is putting a real squeeze on farmers and ranchers trying to make a living. Economically, it's figuring to be even worse than the drought Texas went through in 1996. The bill we're voting on today will clearly not solve all of the problems people are facing because of these severe weather conditions. But it is a start, and it will put money in people's pockets quicker than any other plan being discussed in Washington. Perhaps just as important, it's a sign that we're finally getting through in convincing people that something needs to be done to help farmers in our area deal with the drought. Over the past few weeks, some people have been trying to play politics with this crisis. That is wrong. Congress and the Administration need to work together to do what's right for farmers. The government can't make it rain. But it can help farmers cope with a major national disaster.”