Date: 1998-10-13
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I wish to associate my remarks with the comments of the gentleman from Kansas and the gentleman from South Dakota . Both of those gentleman represents States very similar to mine when it comes to agriculture and the prominence of agriculture in our economy in our home States. Mr. Speaker. every day I receive calls from the people who sent me here to represent them. and every day I get letters and messages describing the need for relief from excessive regulation. I am proud to represent the people of the 4th Congressional District of Colorado. and I have done my very best to represent them well. The people of the High Plains are good. hardworking people who love their families and whose values I am proud to say coincide with my own. So today. I want to say a few words in particular about the farmers and ranchers who live and work on the Eastern Plains of Colorado. These producers. for the most part. are descendants of the first settlers of the West. They work the same fields and provide the affordable food that makes America a great place to live. They take a lot of things in stride with their heads held high. They persevere in the face of a lot of things they cannot change. Drought. excessive rains. low crop prices. and the actions of foreign governments are all things beyond a farmers control. Farmers get a sense of pride doing the work they do. helping to feed the Nation and seeing the result of a years work at harvest time. Farmers only ask to be able to do the work and live like other Americans. And right now. they cannot do that for a couple of reasons. Reasons the Republican Congress is attempting to address. See. the relative economic prosperity that the country is enjoying right now has left agriculture behind in many sectors. Mr. Speaker. last week. the President vetoed the Agriculture Appropriations bill. Without warning nor legitimate reason. he placed the financial condition and trade competitiveness of Americas farmers in grave jeopardy. These people expect their elected officials to know and understand them. to represent them in policy and in belief. I can tell my colleagues how challenging it is to face farmers at home and try to explain the behavior of our President in vetoing a bill so central to agriculture in America. Mr. Speaker. the President of the United States has been wholly unconcerned about the people who are now suffering because of White House politics. the farmers and ranchers in Colorado and throughout the country. Mr. Speaker. farmers face commodity prices that would drive any other business out of business. Take for example wheat. one of the staples of the American diet. It was priced at $2.35 just last week. yet wheat costs over $3 just to grow and harvest. Corn and cattle prices are yielding record low prices also. Mr. Speaker. on October 2. this House of Representatives recorded 333 votes for the Agriculture Appropriations bill. Just a few days later. onOctober 6. the Senate voted the exact same measure off of the Senate floor. Yet when the President was given the bill. one of the only bills to pass with such a commanding bipartisan majority. sadly he let our farmers down. Our bill provided $4.2 billion. and I say $4.2 billion to provide emergency aid. This money could be used to help people who have been victimized by declining crop prices. drought. flood. fire. disease and so on. Pulling the rug out from under the Agriculture Appropriations bill. the farmers and ranchers of America. has a debilitating financial impact. There are many financial services. financial markets. insurance policies and provisions. bankers. that rely on the figures that are derived from the Agriculture Appropriations bill to set the planning prices. to set the financial figures for the next growing season. All of that. of course. is delayed now as Congress negotiates downstairs with the insiders from the White House and the Members of Congress who are negotiating with the White House to get this bill passed and concluded. Every day that we engage in those kinds of debates we are delaying the ability of farmers and ranchers to move forward on financial planning and cash management on the farm. Our approach in this bill was heavy on trade expansion. This is something that is very. very important. and a huge distinction between our values in a Republican protrade House and a White House that seems to be ignorant of the need to expand trade markets. In fact. we have budgeted. set aside significant funds for the Export Enhancement program and this White House has refused to release those dollars in a way that can really help some of the hurting farmers throughout the country. This bill is also heavy on research. Cuttingedge research is what has allowed American farmers to maintain their competitive edge around the world. Let me give a perfect example: The Russian wheat aphid. It was introduced into North America not too long ago. It is a very resistant variety of aphid. of insect. It has a remarkable ability to modify itself to various chemical applications. This research is important. We also need tax relief. Farms are where we look to preserve the American culture. Rural America is a place where every American ought to be concerned. Rural America is the part of the country today that preserves strong families. good schools. close communities. strong economies. where we still honor the values of honest hard work. And I think it is inward to rural America where we need to look today for the values that will carry us into the next century. Mr. Speaker. having our President veto the agriculture appropriations bill in my estimation was a very bad mistake. I am confident that our Republican Congress will always keep the needs of farmers and ranchers in the forefront as we proceed in- the closing days of this Congress and return home to those constituents that sent us here to operate faithfully and justly. not in a partisan sort of way. We will keep the farmers and ranchers foremost in our minds as we proceed.