David Obey: “Mr. Speaker, with this supplemental appropriations bill, we continue to confront urgent business which the 109th…”

“Mr. Speaker, with this supplemental appropriations bill, we continue to confront urgent business which the 109th Congress left unfinished last year and which the President continues to want to leave unfinished. Today, that includes an important relief package for agricultural disasters which occurred in 2005, 2006 and 2007. I do not have to remind my colleagues about so many instances of devastation that have struck every corner of our Nation. And the President's response to these disasters is, ``You are on your own.'' With severe drought in the Midwest, wildfire in the Southwest and floods in the Upper Plains, the United States Department of Agriculture designated nearly three-quarters of all U.S. counties as primary or contiguous disaster areas over the past 2 years. Hardworking farmers struggling just to get by, struggling to deal with each disaster's painful consequences, struggling to understand their deeply felt impact on our businesses, our communities, on our everyday lives. What is the President's response? ``You are on your own.'' These events are described by many as ``slow-motion disasters,'' but they are disasters nonetheless. And we cannot turn our backs on those who are hit hardest.”